The following timeline details key events in this case: 1. Holly Hollman is general counsel and associate executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit November 6, 2018, Argued; April 22, 2019, Opinion Filed Alito hinted months ago that he has the majority opinion in Fulton v. Philadelphia. Last week the Supreme Court of the United States released an opinion on Fulton v. City of Philadelphia; a major case that was deciding whether or not a Catholic foster agency, Catholic Social Services (CSS), could follow Catholic teaching and not adopt children out to same-sex couples. The Supreme Court on Thursday said that Philadelphia violated the First Amendment when it froze the contract of a Catholic Foster Care Agency that refused to Started in 1976, PGN reaches, builds rapport with and listens to our readers and supporters as well as our critics. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia centers on a Catholic child welfare organization that will not place children in its care with same-sex couples. Philadelphia informed the agencies that it would no longer refer children to them unless they agreed to comply with nondiscrimination 19-123, was an easy one. In the past, some states had laws banning LGBTQ people from becoming foster or adoptive parents. Make no mistake, the PA Supreme Court did not find Bill Cosby innocent | Opinion The decision in Fulton v. This paper addresses the decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (June 17, 2021), in which a unanimous Supreme Court upheld a claim under the First Amendments Free Exercise Clause by Catholic Social Services (CSS) against the City. The Court reasoned that, because Philadelphia was willing to consider exceptions to its contractual nondiscrimination Is Jainism the World's Most Peaceful Religion? Fulton v. City of Philadelphia is a case about whether government-funded foster care agencies have a right to discriminate based on their religious beliefs. What Both Sides Got Wrong About Fulton. Consider two important free exercise cases decided in the past few years: Masterpiece Cakeshop v. CCRC and Fulton v. Philadelphia. After the Third Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed a lower court decision in Philadelphias favor, CSS asked the Supreme Court to hear this case, and the Court granted review. This paper addresses the decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (June 17, 2021), in which a unanimous Supreme Court upheld a claim under the First Amendments Free Exercise Clause by Catholic Social Services (CSS) against the City. v. City of Philadelphia, et al. Fulton v. Philadelphia: Religious Exemptions from Generally Applicable Laws June 22, 2021 The Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia on June 17, 2021. ET AL. The lawsuit, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia , made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where arguments were largely focused on the free exercise questions. Caution As of: November 27, 2019 4:25 PM Z Fulton v. City of Phila. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was a case argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on November 4, 2020, during the court's October 2020-2021 term.. FULTON et al. No. Foster care and adoption ministries praise ruling in Fulton v. Philadelphia. In a unanimous ruling, the court reversed the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit and remanded the case for further proceedings, holding that the City of Philadelphia violated Catholic Posted on July 20, 2021. (Statement of costs filed.) Pa. 2018) Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (2021) was a United States Supreme Court case dealing with litigation over discrimination of local regulations based on the Free Exercise Clause and Establishment Clause of First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Court requires religious exemption but leaves many questions unanswered. July 20, 2021. by admin. This term was no different. Member Posts: 317. Instead, the Supreme Court resolved the case before it, giving little guidance for future religious freedom conflicts. Fulton v. City of Phila. It is rather thataccording to Alito (joined by Justices Thomas and Gorsuch)victory in the war was at hand, and yet forsaken. Washington, D.C.Today, the Supreme Court issued a very narrow ruling in favor of Catholic Social Services (CSS) in Fulton v.City of Philadelphia. June 17, 2021: The U.S. Supreme Court reversedThe action of an appellate court overturning a lower court's decision. This is a much-anticipated case, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. But the majority opinion in Fulton v. Philadelphia, written by Chief Justice Roberts, was actually a narrow one, joined by three liberal and two conservative justices. v. City of Philadelphia I am deeply grateful to the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States for their willingness to hear this matter and for their ultimate opinion. In March 2018, the city of Philadelphia learned that two of the agencies it hired to provide foster care services to children in the citys care would not, based on their religious objection, accept same-sex couples as foster parents. Some things are worth the fight. 3d 661 ( E.D. United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit November 6, 2018, Argued; April 22, 2019, Opinion Filed No. Mr. Katyal said the case, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, No. A Quick Guide to Todays Opinions in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. Syllabus. June 26, 2020 The City of Philadelphia was experiencing a shortage of foster parents. v. City of Philadelphia I am deeply grateful to the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States for their willingness to hear this matter and for their ultimate opinion. Document Properties. Philadelphia. Joan Frawley Desmond Nation June 24, 2021. Jimmy Moore had been waiting for months for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide Fulton v. Philadelphia. Amendments Free Exercise Clause by Catholic Social Services (CSS) against the City. Unanimous decision for Fulton majority opinion by John G. Roberts, Jr. In Fulton, Catholic Social Services is asking the Supreme Court to affirm that cities cannot expel Catholic Social Services from the states foster care Two Surprises in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia A Unanimous Outcome and the Enduring Quality of Free Exercise Principles (Read 1235 times) ibagli Jr. Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927), was a United States Supreme Court decision upholding the conviction of an individual who had engaged in speech that raised a threat to society. Response by Ira C. Lupu & Robert W. Tuttle Geo. By Walter Olson. Potential Implications of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia Decision on Employment Law Bill Cosby and his many supporters may have the wrong impression from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision. In March of 2018, the citys Department of Human Services urgently pleaded for 300 more foster homes. By Holly Hollman. The Fulton v. City of Philadelphia decision reaffirmed the important distinction made by the majority in Obergefell v. Hodges between opponents of same-sex marriage and interracial marriage. After a three-year battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court, Sharonell Fulton, Philadelphia cannot exclude the Catholic organization from the citys foster care program because the organization refuses to certify same-sex couples as foster parents. Sharonell Fulton, a foster parent in Philadelphia, is pictured with a young woman and children in a May 23, 2018, photo. SCOTUS made the right call in Fulton v. Philadelphia | Opinion. The refusal of Philadelphia to contract with CSS for the provision of foster care services unless CSS agrees to certify same-sex couples as foster parents violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. v. CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ET AL. 19-123, was an easy one. 19123. But the decision, announced Thursday morning, is also a very good thing for the plaintiffs, of course, but also for American liberalism, rightly understood. In a decisive win for religious freedom, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Fulton v.City of Philadelphia that faith-based foster care and adoption providers, such as Catholic Social Services in Philadelphia, can continue serving children and families according to their convictions. CSS wanted the Court to overrule decades-old precedent. In Fulton v. Philadelphia, the court said Philadelphia was wrong to end a contract with the Catholic agency. Fulton v. Philadelphia: A Masterpiece of an Opinion? The Supreme Court today decided unanimously that religion supersedes the law, at least when it comes to LGBTQ rights.. Shutterstock photo. Wash. L. Rev. This was nothing less than an act of cruelty, and the Supreme Court unanimously ruled it an unconstitutional violation of religious freedom in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia . Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 593 U.S. ____ (2021) (Roberts, C.J.) But the decision, announced Thursday morning, is also a very good thing for the plaintiffs, of 2. v. CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, et al. Josh Blackman The Fulton decision was not as sweeping a victory for religious objectors to same-sex marriage as CSS and many of its allies hoped. Amendments Free Exercise Clause by Catholic Social Services (CSS) against the City. SHARE. November 4, 2020: Oral argument was heard. Plainly put, it is not that believers won the battle but lost the war in Fulton. The opinion, by Chief Justice John Roberts, reversed the circuit court ruling. READ: Supreme Court opinion in same-sex couple foster care agency case. The final weeks of a Supreme Court term are always full of suspense. The United States Supreme Court unanimously sided with Catholic Social Services in its claim against the City of Philadelphia, saying the city cannot exclude the faith-based agency from a foster care contract merely because it does not serve LGBTQ clients.. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. The Supreme Court ruling could have broad implications beyond the foster care context. In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the Court decided that a city could not exclude a religious foster care agency from public life simply because it disagrees with the agency's views on marriage. Fulton v. Philadelphia could have created a wide-ranging right to discriminate. Fulton et al. The Philadelphia Inquirer notes how one of the plantiffs, Sharonell Fulton, was overjoyed by the Supreme Courts decision: Sharonell Fulton, a foster parent with CSS who as one of the plaintiffs gave the case its name, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, said she was overjoyed. Philadelphias foster care system relies on cooperation between the City and private foster care agencies. The Fulton v. City of Philadelphia decision reaffirmed the important distinction made by the majority in Obergefell v. Hodges between opponents of same-sex marriage and interracial marriage. Term 2020) Slip Opinion | SCOTUSblog. In Fulton, a Catholic foster care agency raised religious objections to complying with Fulton v. Philadelphia is a remarkable case indeed. Topic: Fulton v. Philadelphia: Roberts has 9-0 majority opinion; late vote switches? Opinion | A New Supreme Court Ruling Will Devastate LGBTQ Foster Families Rural communities will be hardest hit by the Fulton v. The City of Philadelphia decision. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia is certainly such a case. June 21, 2021 It is near the end of SCOTUS opinion season, that late spring tradition of edicts from the high court trickling in over the course of several weeks. Scroll down for our Decision Analysis. Fulton v. Philadelphia is a remarkable case indeed. In the case of Fulton v.City of Philadelphia 18-2574 Reporter 922 F.3d 140 *; 2019 U.S. App. The lawsuit, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia , made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where arguments were largely focused on the free exercise questions. Argued November 4, 2020Decided June 17, 2021 . Last week in Fulton v. Philadelphia, the Supreme Court held that Philadelphia violated the Free Exercise Clause when it declined to employ a Catholic provider of foster care services because of the charitys refusal to certify same-sex couples as appropriate foster parents. See United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co., 200 U. S. 321, 337. SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES . In a unanimous decision June 17, 2021, the Supreme Court said that a Catholic social service agency should not have been excluded from Philadelphias foster care program because it did not accept same-sex couples as foster parents. Plainly put, it is not that believers won the battle but lost the war in Fulton. July 22, 2019: CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT . The Courts unanimous judgment in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia yesterday is yet another resounding victory for religious freedom and against religious discrimination. Fulton v. Philadelphia stands as a rebuke to Democrats who have been fighting against religious freedom in this sphere. This paper addresses the decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (June 17, 2021), in which a unanimous Supreme Court upheld a claim under the First Amendments Free Exercise Clause by Catholic Social Services (CSS) against the City. It is rather thataccording to Alito (joined by Justices Thomas and Gorsuch)victory in the war was at hand, and yet forsaken. The decision in Fulton v. Philadelphia , handed down on Thursday, is a victory for the countless children in America whose biological parents are unable or unwilling to care for them. Jimmy Moore had been waiting for months for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide Fulton v. Philadelphia. SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES Syllabus FULTON ET AL. Elizabeth Sepper Professor of Law, The University of Texas School of Law. Oral Statement of Most Reverend Nelson J. Prez Press Call Following Scotus Opinion in Fulton, et al. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 593 U.S. ____ (2021) (Roberts, C.J.) In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, litigation challenged a requirement pursuant to the citys foster care program; it would only contract with Catholic Social Services (CSS) if CSS agreed to place children with same-sex couples as well as heterosexual couples. We saw some of these arguments at work in last weeks oral arguments in the case of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. Syllabus . SCOTUS not only refused to do that, it also wrote an opinion clearly meant to apply only to the facts in front of it. Ius & Iustitium is happy to present this guest post by O.A.S. Whitney was explicitly overruled by Brandenburg v.Ohio in 1969. The syllabus constitutes no part of the opinion of the Court but has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions for the convenience of the reader. Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Gay News is the areas largest and oldest publication targeting the LGBTQ+ community. That is why I joined a lawsuit against the city, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia brought by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. On June 17, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Fulton v.City of Philadelphia that the city of Philadelphia discriminated against Catholic Social Services (CSS), a Catholic foster-care agency, when they cut CSS from their foster provider list because of their religious convictions on human sexuality, marriage, and the nuclear family. On one level, Thursdays Supreme Court decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia was a setback for the cause of equality under the law. The following opinions, decisions, judgments, orders and other materials have been omitted in printing this joint appendix because they appear on the following pages in the appendix to the Petition for Certiorari: Precedential Opinion, Sharonell Fulton, et al. Fulton v City of Philadelphia - Third Circuit Opinion. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia is certainly such a case. ET AL. The Court heard argument on November 4. 3. Supreme Court Upholds Religious Freedom in Foster Parent Case Fulton v Philadelphia . The war of course is about the Courts 1990 Free Exercise precedent, Oregon v. On the Docket (Oct. v. City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania et al., No. Response by Ira C. Lupu & Robert W. Tuttle Geo. 4. Nor was the decision as fatal to protections for LGBTQ people as Philadelphia and some of its allies feared. The City of Philadelphia contracts with private social service agencies to help place children in foster homes. Rural communities will be hardest hit by the Fulton v. The City of Philadelphia decision. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - SCOTUSblog. The City enters standard annual con- Abstract. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Fulton v.City of Philadelphia that the City of Philadelphia violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment by failing to give Catholic Social Services (CSS) an exemption from the nondiscrimination provision in city contracts for foster care providers, even though the contract authorized exemptions and the City had granted exemptions to other providers. Shutterstock photo. The refusal of Philadelphia to contract with CSS for the provision of foster care services unless CSS agrees to certify same-sex couples as foster parents violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. It is rather thataccording to Alito (joined by Justices Thomas and Gorsuch)victory in the war was at hand, and yet forsaken. July 13, 2021 Archbishop Nelson J. Prez Joins with Other Cuban American Bishops to Issue Joint Statement Regarding the Protests in Ira C. Lupu & Robert W. Tuttle. Ten weeks ago, acting on an emergency application for injunctive relief in the COVID-19 case of Tandon v. Newsom, the Supreme Court issued an unsigned opinion that appeared to resolve one of the two major free exercise issues previously presented for the courts consideration in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. Logged: politicallefty Concerned Citizen Posts: 5,586. But the majority opinion in Fulton v. Philadelphia, written by Chief Justice Roberts, was actually a narrow one, joined by three liberal and two conservative justices. Constitutional Discrimination Versus Unconstitutional Discrimination: The Importance of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. Fulton is as savvy a piece of work as Ive ever seen from the chief justice. The syllabus constitutes no part of the opinion of the Court but has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions for the convenience of the reader. Member Posts: 317. This limited win is good, but limited, and the ever-sharp Alito spotted the problem lurking for believers in the opinion. February 24, 2020: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. Decided in 2018 and 2021, respectively, these decisions were anticipated to be blockbuster cases in religious liberty law, either primed to embrace or refute the standard in Smith. Like Masterpiece Cakeshop, Fulton v. Philly was written to narrowly apply to the facts of the specific case in front of the Court. The Supreme Court heard argument in Fulton v.City of Philadelphia on the day after Election Day, 2020, and just a few days after Justice Amy Coney Barrett took the oath of her new office. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. The syllabus constitutes no part of the opinion of the Court but has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions for the convenience of the reader. Oral Statement of Most Reverend Nelson J. Prez Press Call Following Scotus Opinion in Fulton, et al. See United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co., 200 U. S. 321, 337. Reaction to the U.S. Supreme Courts June 17 decision in Fulton v. Philadelphia allowing a Catholic foster care agency to refuse to obey a city nondiscrimination ordinance elicited an unusually wide range of often contradictory assessments. 19-123 (June 17, 2021). SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. Unexpected server response. The case, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, sprang from a clash between the citys policies against anti-LGBT discrimination and the church teachings that guided Catholic Social Services mission. Potential Implications of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia Decision on Employment Law Bill Cosby and his many supporters may have the wrong impression from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia: Yes, It Was a Big Deal. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia is certainly such a case. v. CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ET AL. This trend continued last week in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia . FULTON . No. the decision of the 3rd Circuit and remandedTo return a case or claim to a lower court for additional proceedings.the case for further proceedings. Plainly put, it is not that believers won the battle but lost the war in Fulton. James D. Nelson Associate Professor of Law and Business at the University of Houston Law Center. LEXIS 11711 ** SHARONELL FULTON; CECELIA PAUL; TONI LYNN SIMMS-BUSCH; CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES, Appellants v. CITY OF PHILADELPHIA; DEPARTMENT Loving and Obergefell, 2) Breyer wrestles, 3) Barrett questions, and 4) Alito charges. Blanket Consent filed by Respondents, City of Philadelphia, Department of Human Services for the City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. Topic: Fulton v. Philadelphia: Roberts has 9-0 majority opinion; late vote switches? Children Are the Real Winners in Fulton v. Philadelphia wrote an opinion arguing the court should have overturned precedent. Fulton v. Philadelphia pitted Catholic Social Services and two foster moms against the city of Philadelphia. The Supreme Court on Thursday said that Philadelphia violated the First Amendment when it The U.S. Supreme Court in Fulton v.City of Philadelphia, 593 U.S. ____ (2021) upheld the religious rights of Catholic Social Services, saying the agencys religious-based refusal to certify same-sex couples as foster families could not be the citys reason for ending the agency's long-held foster care placement contract.. Another recent Court decision furthers this potential via an alternate route. Two Surprises in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia A Unanimous Outcome and the Enduring Quality of Free Exercise Principles But the majority opinion in Fulton v. Philadelphia, written by Chief Justice Roberts, was actually a narrow one, joined by three liberal and two conservative justices. This term was no different. Blanket Consent: May 27 2020: Joint appendix (two volumes) filed. 19-123, was an easy one. Some have dismissed last weeks Supreme Court ruling in Fulton v. Philadelphia On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear our case. Catholic Social Services (CSS), a faith-based foster care agency, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia raises the question of where we draw the line between LGBTQ rights and religious dissent. Unanimous 9-0 decision in Fulton v. Philadelphia hailed WINDSOR TERRACE Some are heralding a unanimous Supreme Court decision that upholds the ability of a faith-based foster care agency to operate according to its faith as a statement from the nations highest court of its commitment to religious liberty. But the decision, announced Thursday morning, is also a very good thing for the plaintiffs, of course, but also for American liberalism, rightly understood. Fulton and Simms-Busch were the plaintiffs in the recent foster-care and religious-liberty case at the Supreme Court, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. Last month, in its boundless charity, the Supreme Court announced that it would allow a Catholic foster care agency to continue to existat least for the time being. Term 2020) Slip Opinion | SCOTUSblog. Wash. L. Rev. The District Court set out at length the Citys interests in requiring CSS to abide by its nondiscrimination policy, see Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, 320 F. Supp. (Read 1235 times) ibagli Jr. Enter the password to open this PDF file. on the bench. on Jun 22, 2021 at 3:02 pm. Fulton v. Philadelphia marked a substantial expansion of religious accommodation rights, as well as a shift in the Courts tone on clashes between discrimination law and religious liberty. When the high court agreed to hear the case of Fulton v. Philadelphia in February 2020, At its core, the Fulton opinion found that Philadelphias refusal to contract with the Catholic group could not stand because the city had a mechanism for individualized This paper addresses the decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (June 17, 2021), in which a unanimous Supreme Court upheld a claim under the First . The Fulton decision did not deliver a straightforward message as Obergefell v.Hodges did in 2015, when the court said, same-sex couples may now exercise the fundamental right to marry in all States. It did not spell out clearly, as it did in Bostock v.Clayton last year, that, An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law. WASHINGTON When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its June 17 ruling in Fulton v. Philadelphia, a Instead, the Supreme Court ruled that the Fulton v. Philadelphia case did not fall under the Smith decision's purview as the city of Philadelphia's foster care rules were discriminatory. City of Philadelphia, 320 F. Supp. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. See United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co., 200 U. S. 321, 337. Case Decision. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Fulton v.City of Philadelphia that the City of Philadelphia violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment by failing to give Catholic Social Services (CSS) an exemption from the nondiscrimination provision in city contracts for foster care providers, even though the contract authorized exemptions and the City had granted exemptions to other providers. Holding: Philadelphias refusal to contract with Catholic Social Services for the provision of foster care services unless CSS agrees to certify same-sex couples as foster parents violates the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. 1. Mr. Katyal said the case, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, No. Political Matrix E: -3.87, S: -9.22: Re: Fulton v. Philadelphia: Alito has majority opinion Reply #12 on: May 01, 2021, 08:43:00 PM Fulton was never going to be a win for the left. 3d. Its a particularly big win for Catholics unwilling to betray Church teaching as a precondition to serve the needy. June 22, 2021 1:32PM. Foster care and adoption ministries praise ruling in Fulton v. Philadelphia. Unanimous decision for Fulton majority opinion by John G. Roberts, Jr. at 70304, and we agree that the Citys interests weigh substantially in its favor particularly in ensuring that government services are open to all Philadelphians. After a three-year battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court, Sharonell Fulton, Toni Simms-Busch and the . The United States Supreme Court unanimously sided with Catholic Social Services in its claim against the City of Philadelphia, saying the city cannot exclude the faith-based agency from a foster care contract merely because it does not serve LGBTQ clients.. The oral argument in the case, Fulton v. Philadelphia, went largely unpublicized last November because the nation's attention was fixated on the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Some legal observers viewed the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia as a "significant" victory for LGBTQs while others saw it as another sign of "death by a thousand cuts" for queer equal rights. Fulton v. Philadelphia is an important victory for religious freedom. Lawyers for the city said the case, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, No. The Archdiocese of Philadelphias Catholic Charities Appeal (CCA) will once again partner with the Philadelphia Phillies to host a night of family fun at Citizens Bank Park. On the Docket (Oct. Fulton v. Philadelphia is a remarkable case indeed. On June 17, 2021, the Supreme Court ruled for Fulton and Catholic Social Services. Opinion Supreme Court Religious freedom LGBT Adoption Some things are worth the fight. v. CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ET AL. Fulton v. The City of Philadelphia was argued before the countrys highest court in November and is one of a handful of opinions expected to be released before the end of June. The final weeks of a Supreme Court term are always full of suspense. Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. It focused on how to balance religious freedom with LGBTQ rights. In a concurring opinion joined by Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, Justice Samuel Alito launched into the Smith decision. Opinion | A New Supreme Court Ruling Will Devastate LGBTQ Foster Families. Ira C. Lupu & Robert W. Tuttle. This article is the final entry in a symposium on the courts decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue its opinion within the month on a closely watched case that grapples with religious rights and anti-LGBTQ discrimination. 1. June 18, 2021. FULTON . This paper addresses the decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia (June 17, 2021), in which a unanimous Supreme Court upheld a claim under the First . Others debated whether Chief Justice John Roberts skills as a judicial magician are well known, but his performance in Thursdays Fulton v. Philadelphia may be his finest trick yet.