FRANKFORT (June 17, 2021) –Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles issued the following statement after the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia.

“Today’s ruling from the United States Supreme Court is a victory for religious liberty and for religious nonprofit organizations," Commissioner Quarles said. "Today’s unanimous ruling applies here in Kentucky to the stand-off between Governor Andrew Beshear’s administration and Sunrise Children's Services and underscores the position I outlined a couple weeks ago: there is no good reason the Governor cannot give a contract to Sunrise, just like Kentucky’s previous governors did. Governor Beshear’s refusal to contract with Sunrise is a violation of the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Governor Beshear should immediately stop discriminating against Sunrise Children's Services because of its religious faith and allow it to fulfill its mission of helping abused and neglected kids in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

Commissioner Quarles joined other constitutional officers in writing a letter to the Beshear Administration in May, urging the Governor to grant a child services contract to Sunrise Children's Services like previous governors had. Read the letter here.

Read the Supreme Court opinion here.