Due to the newly-expressed intent of the Department for Children and Family Services to press forward with transitioning the cases of the children under Catholic Charities care prior to the October 5 court hearing on reconsideration, Judge John Schmidt has allowed plaintiffs an emergency hearing before him this Monday, September 26, at 12:30 p.m. in Illinois’ Sangamon County Court in Springfield.
Catholic Charities will ask Judge Schmidt to reinstate his preliminary injunction until he has time to rule on a motion to reconsider his August 18 order and, if necessary, for an appeal of his order to the Illinois Appellate Court. That order denied the Charities' request to prevent the Department of Children and Family Services from barring Catholic Charities from foster care and adoption contracts because of the Catholic Church's religious beliefs against same-sex and opposite-sex civil unions.
The Thomas More Society, which represents the Catholic Charities of the Springfield, Peoria, Joliet, and Belleville dioceses, is seeking the stay to stop the effect of the August 18 ruling, so as to allow the Charities to maintain their services during the pendency of any appeals.
A copy of the emergency filing is available here
For more information contact Tom Ciesielka 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.net
Thomas Ciesielka
TC Public Relations
333 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1322
Chicago, IL 60601
312-422-1333 (o)
312-403-1333 (c)
