WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled to uphold the First Amendment and protect religious liberty in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. The ruling will enable Catholic Social Services to continue placing children into foster homes in accordance with its religious beliefs.

Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James released the below statement following the court’s decision:
 

“Catholic Social Services has demonstrated for more than a century that religious beliefs inspire and motivate service to vulnerable children and foster parents. Philadelphia contracts with dozens of foster care agencies and no one complained about being rejected by this agency. The city singled out Catholic Social Services to purge any organization that held a traditional view of marriage. The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling today says that this hostility violated First Amendment freedoms.
 

“The Supreme Court’s decision today exposed and rejected another instance of government hostility toward religious freedom. Unanimity is rare in our discourse these days, but the Court ruled 9-0 that Philadelphia’s actions were unconstitutional. This decision, however, was necessary only because the Court, in Employment Division v. Smith, had previously, and improperly, narrowed the First Amendment’s protection of the fundamental right to exercise religion. The Court should correct that error as soon as possible.”
 

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