#BREAKING: The Supreme Court just ruled UNANIMOUSLY that Philadelphia can’t shut down a Catholic foster-care ministry because of its religious beliefs about marriage.
Some will try to say the ruling is “narrow.” Wrong.
Five reasons this is HUGE: 🧵
Some will try to say the ruling is “narrow.” Wrong.
Five reasons this is HUGE: 🧵
1. It is UNANIMOUS. This sends a powerful message that religious Americans are free to serve. They don’t have to change their basic beliefs about marriage and family in order to join hands across faith lines and serve the neediest in society. 
2. It shows that the infamous Smith decision--which narrowed the Free Exercise Clause--is not long for this world. There are at least 5 votes, likely 6, to overrule it. It’s only a matter of time before the Court restores even stronger protections for religious freedom.
3. It adopts a rigorous test even under Smith. It says if a law lets the government make any case-by-case “exceptions,” even theoretically--which many laws do--the law is subject to strict scrutiny. This means gov't will have far less flexibility to restrict religious practices.
4. It rejects the idea that constitutional protections go out the window when the government is entering “contracts” or managing “internal affairs.” This means the constitution applies rigorously across ALL government activities.
5. It adopts a robust (correct) version of strict scrutiny—expressly rejecting the idea that the government can cite a general interest in “equality” or “dignity” to trump religious freedom.
Bottom line: This is a profound victory for religious freedom. It provides strong, UNANIMOUS protection for people of faith to serve the needy. And it forecasts even stronger protections in the years to come.
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