Awaiting Supreme Court Decisions - With June getting underway, several important decisions from the Supreme Court are imminent. Among them are rulings that may effectively redefine "sex" in federal law and, with wide impact, determine whether related legal protections include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity." Bishops had issued a press release, and the Conference filed amicus curiae briefs when the cases were argued last year. Meanwhile, on May 21st, the Court declined to block an order requiring Idaho to provide "gender confirmation" surgery to an incarcerated person while the state's underlying appeal to the high court proceeds.

Adoption and Foster Care - On May 8th, a federal court denied the government's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a same-sex couple against the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services and South Carolina for granting a Protestant foster care agency, Miracle Hill, a waiver from a nondiscrimination regulation that would force it to violate its principles or stop serving children.

Catholic Schools - Among the lawsuits involving Catholic school teachers in Indianapolis removed or not renewed for being in same-sex "marriages," a state trial court declined to dismiss the Cathedral school's case on May 1st.

Armed Services - Despite policy that has been allowed to stand during litigation, the Navy provided its first waiver to allow a male to serve as a "woman" on May 12th.

Confronting Pornography - On April 30th, three US bishop chairmen - Bishop Konderla of Tulsa, Chairman of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage; Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco, Chairman of the Committee for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; and Archbishop Coakley of Oklahoma City, Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development - wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, urging the Department of Justice to more proactively confront the pornography industry and encourage services for its survivors.

Preventing Child Marriage - Pennsylvania banned marriage for those under 18 on May 8th, joining a handful of other states to advance related restrictions this year.