US Supreme Court rules for Catholic group in LGBTQ rights dispute

The decision was a victory for a Catholic agency that barred same-sex couples from applying to become foster parents.

The United States Supreme Court has embraced religious rights over LGBTQ rights by ruling in favour of a Catholic Church-affiliated agency that sued after Philadelphia refused to place children for foster care with the organisation because it barred same-sex couples from applying to become foster parents. The 9-0 ruling on Thursday, written by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, was a victory for Catholic Social Services, part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The court said the city’s refusal to use the Catholic agency for foster care services unless it agreed to certify same-sex couples violates the US Constitution’s First Amendment guarantee of the free exercise of religion. Catholic Social Services (CSS) argued that Philadelphia had penalised it for its religious views and for following church teachings on marriage. The court did not rule on some of the broader legal questions raised by religious rights advocates.