Iowa City And Mayor Join Supreme Court Brief In Support Of Non Discrimination Protections

From the City of Iowa City:

August 24, 2020

On Thursday, August 20, 2020, the City of Iowa City and Mayor Bruce Teague joined more than 160 other mayors, cities, and other local governments as well as the U.S. Conference of Mayors in asking the Supreme Court to rule in favor of upholding nondiscrimination requirements regulating government contractors and taxpayer-funded agencies.

The amicus (friend of the court) brief supports the City of Philadelphia in Fulton v Philadelphia. The case considers whether a foster care agency may override the city of Philadelphia's contractual nondiscrimination requirement and turn away LGBTQ people or others seeking to be foster parents, based on the foster agency’s religious beliefs.

A loss in this case could have broad implications for the application of non-discrimination laws and government practices around the country and exclude people from accessing crucial services because of who they are or what they believe. The City joins in recognition and furtherance of the values that have been embodied in its Human Rights Ordinance for decades.

The brief was submitted yesterday and can be found here. The Supreme Court will hear the case on November 4, 2020.

This press release was produced by the City of Iowa City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.