Mayor Gusciora Signs Supreme Court Brief in Support of Nondiscrimination Protections

Trenton, N.J. – Mayor W. Reed Gusciora announced today that he has joined more than 160 other mayors, cities, and local governments in asking the Supreme Court to rule in favor of upholding nondiscrimination requirements regulating government contractors and taxpayer-funded agencies.

The friend-of-the-court brief supports the city of Philadelphia in the case Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which will be heard on Nov. 4, 2020.

According to the brief, mayors and local governments rely on contractors to deliver a wide range of public services to their diverse communities and allowing contractors to opt-out of nondiscrimination requirements would be harmful and impair the delivery of those services.

“Trenton residents need access to a wide variety of contractors and service providers – including foster care agencies, food banks, and homeless shelters – without fear of discrimination,” said Mayor Gusciora. “A negative outcome in this case could make it possible for our most vulnerable residents to be turned away from critical services at a time when they need them the most, just because of who they are and what they believe.”

Fulton v. City of Philadelphia considers whether a foster care agency may override the city of Philadelphia’s contractual nondiscrimination requirement in order to turn away LGBTQ people or others seeking to be foster parents, based on the agency’s religious beliefs. The outcome of the case may have broad implications for the application of nondiscrimination laws and government policies around the country.

The mayors, cities, and towns represented in the brief serve more than 50 million Americans. Other amicus brief signers include major child welfare professional associations, LGBTQ youth service providers, faith-based foster care agencies, faith leaders, legal scholars, civil rights organizations, bipartisan elected officials, and more.

For more information on the case, visit https://www.freedomforallamericans.org/fulton/.