HUGE: The Supreme Court will decide whether Philadelphia violated the First Amendment when it stopped referring foster children to agencies that refuse to work with same-sex couples.
supremecourt.gov/orders/courtor…
supremecourt.gov/orders/courtor…
This is really a nightmare scenario for LGBTQ advocates, who are rightly terrified that the Supreme Court will use this case to invalidate state and local laws that bar adoption and foster agencies from discriminating against same-sex couples.
This case ALSO asks the Supreme Court to overturn Smith and give religious people and businesses a fundamental right to be exempt from laws that burden their religious exercise. If SCOTUS agrees, it would constitutionalize Hobby Lobby and dramatically expand religious exemptions.
WOW: Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch also call on the court to expand Title VII's bar on discrimination because of religion, which could force companies to tolerate employees who refuse to perform certain duties (say, serving same-sex couples) because of religion-based prejudice. 
Today, the Supreme Court's new conservative majority formally commenced its crusade to establish a First Amendment right of businesses and government contractors to discriminate against LGBTQ people on the basis of religion. This is going to be brutal.
