This essay asserts the primacy of children's interests as a constitutional check on the religious liberty interests of government contractors that express in ways adverse to the best interests of foster children harmed by discriminatory foster care screening processes. The piece begins with an examination of child welfare realities characterized by increasing numbers of foster children and shrinking pools of prospective parents. It goes on to highlight the harmful effects of discriminatory, faith-based placement and certification services on foster children; explains how such policies and practices breach the City's parens patriae duty to maximize the pool of prospective foster families for foster children; and presents data documenting negative outcomes for foster youth when placement options are circumscribed by categorical exclusion of LGBTQ+ families. The piece concludes with a critical examination of the Supreme Court's failure to factor children's best interests in its constitutional calculus and how the Court's holding endorses religious based action by government contractors that will harm vulnerable children confined to our nation's overcrowded foster care systems.

中文翻译：

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富尔顿的缺陷：在宗教自由和 LGBTQ+ 权利之间的宪法冲突中，寄养儿童既看不见也听不见

本文断言儿童利益的首要地位是对政府承包商的宗教自由利益的宪法检查，这些利益以不利于受歧视性寄养筛选过程伤害的寄养儿童的最佳利益的方式表达。这篇文章首先考察了儿童福利现实，其特点是寄养儿童数量增加和准父母人数减少。它继续强调歧视性、基于信仰的安置和认证服务对寄养儿童的有害影响；解释此类政策和做法如何违反纽约市的父母亲有责任最大限度地增加寄养儿童的潜在寄养家庭；并提供数据记录当安置选择受到明确排除 LGBTQ+ 家庭的限制时，寄养青年的负面结果。这篇文章最后对最高法院未能将儿童的最大利益纳入其宪法考量进行了批判性审查，以及最高法院的判决如何支持政府承包商的基于宗教的行动，这些行动将伤害被限制在我们国家过度拥挤的寄养系统中的弱势儿童。