In a previous court ruling, judges said that the matter had been resolved because the couple ended up becoming foster parents. Now, the couple is appealing. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Jewish couple in Knox County who was denied by a Methodist foster care agency is arguing they can fairly sue for religious discrimination in an appeal over a previous court decision that considered the matter closed. The previous lawsuit challenged a 2020 state law that protects private adoption agencies if they reject applicants based on religious beliefs, even if the agency gets state funding. Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram argued that the law, known as House Bill 0836 , let them be subject to religious discrimination. They said Holston United Methodist Home for Children in Greeneville barred them from taking state-mandated foster-parent training and denied a home-study certification because of their faith , while they attempted to adopt a child last year. The organization is one of the few able to provide services needed to adopt an out-of-state child, according to the court filing. The couple said the organization told them they would not provide services because of their faith, in an email sent the day they would have started […]
