Rutan-Ram, et al. v. Tenn. Dep’t of Children’s Servs., et al

Plaintiffs Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram are a Jewish married couple who were denied, because of their differing faith, services by Holston United Methodist Home for Children, a child-placing agency that professes a Christian belief system.  Holston receives state funding through the Department of Children’s Services.  The Rutan-Rams state this alleged religious discrimination is expressly approved by Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-1-147.  They are joined by several other plaintiffs from across the state in asserting that both Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-1-147 itself and the Department’s funding of Holston violate Article I, Section 3 of the Tennessee Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of worship and separation of church and state.  They also argue that the statute and the Department’s funding of Holston violate the equal protection provisions of the Tennessee Constitution.