A federal appeals court has allowed a Christian adoption agency’s lawsuit against New York state’s anti-discrimination regulation to proceed.
A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled Tuesday that a lower court had prematurely tossed out a lawsuit filed by New Hope Family Services, a Christian agency that prioritizes placing children with two-parent, mixed-sex households.
In its ruling, the panel said that the New York State Office of Children and Family Services may have “cited with hostility towards New Hope because of the latter’s religious beliefs.”
Attorneys for New Hope filed the lawsuit against the state agency after an official had threatened New Hope with phasing-out its adoption program over its opposition to same-sex marriage.
The judges found “no complaint from any referred couple” that New Hope had prevented any same-sex or unmarried couple from adopting a child.
• Christopher Vondracek can be reached at cvondracek@washingtontimes.com.
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