Barrett, Top Court Weigh Religion Case That May Snub Gay Couples

  • Court hears Philadelphia foster-care clash with Catholic group
  • City says religious group must work with same-sex couples

Amy Coney Barrett

Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg
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U.S. Supreme Court conservatives including new Justice Amy Coney Barrett weighed bolstering religious rights in a case that could let a Catholic charity refuse to work with same-sex couples when helping to place foster children in Philadelphia.

Hearing arguments Wednesday even as the nation tried to sort out the results of the presidential election, the court’s strengthened conservative wing questioned Philadelphia’s effort to enforce its anti-discrimination requirements in contracts with the private agencies that screen potential foster families.