The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which questions whether religious-based foster care agencies that choose not to work with same-sex parents are exempt from nondiscrimination laws.

Maryland’s Catholic Charities of Baltimore no longer provides foster or adoption services, but FreeState Justice, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy group, fears other social services could be affected by a religious-exemption ruling.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Justice Stephen Breyer asked Lori H. Windham, a lawyer for the petitioners, if Catholic Social Services could just evaluate a couple “irrespective of same or different sex,” but she said it would be “essentially a validation of the relationships in the home” and against the organization’s “deeply held religious beliefs” regarding same-sex marriages.

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