Press Release

Foster families in court to defend agency that brought them together Michigan-based foster kids and parents fight back against the ACLU’s lawsuit to close religious adoption agencies

Media Release Date

For Immediate Release:
July 9, 2018

Media Contact

Ryan Colby 202-349-7219 media@becketlaw.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Shamber Flore, a former foster child, and several foster families will be in court on Thursday, July 12, to stand up for Michigan’s vulnerable foster children. In Dumont v. Lyon, the ACLU is trying to stop the state of Michigan from working with private religious adoption agencies because they run their programs based on their religious beliefs. At the hearing, the court will decide whether religious adoption agencies can continue doing what they do best: uniting children with loving families (watch video here).

With nearly 13,000 children in Michigan’s foster care system, and not enough families to take them in, the State relies on private agencies like St. Vincent Catholic Charities to help place foster children in desperate need of homes. Becket is defending St. Vincent Catholic Charities, Shamber Flore, who was adopted as a foster child through St. Vincent in 2005, and Melissa and Chad Buck, parents of five children with special needs adopted through St. Vincent. 

What:
Oral Argument in Dumont v. Lyon 

Who:
Stephanie Barclay, counsel at Becket
Shamber Flore
Melissa Buck 

When:
Thursday, July 12, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. EST 

 Where:
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
231 W. Lafayette Boulevard, Detroit
Room 737  

A Becket attorney will be available for comment immediately following the hearing and Twitter live. 

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Melinda Skea at media@becketlaw.org or 202-349-7224. Interviews can be arranged in English, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.  

Additional Information: 

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Becket is a non-profit, public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions and has a 100% win-rate before the United States Supreme Court. For over 20 years, it has successfully defended clients of all faiths, including Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Native Americans, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians (read more here).