Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, in which the court heard oral arguments Wednesday, revolves around whether organizations that provide services for a governmental body have to comply with that government’s antidiscrimination laws.
The Philadelphia Department of Human Services, which operates the city’s foster care system, quit using Catholic Social Services for certification of foster parents in 2018 when city officials learned the agency would not certify same-sex couples.
The agency’s action violated the city’s law against discrimination based on sexual orientation.Catholic Social Services and three foster parents then sued the city, arguing that the group should be able to continue to work with the city while still adhering to religious.