M.J., Shaq, Taurasi, others honor Kobe and Gianna Bryant; thousands of immigrants will be eligible to vote in Pa. this year | Morning Newsletter

Thousands gathered in Los Angeles yesterday for a memorial service honoring Lower Merion alum and NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. In Philly, some residents will vote today in a special election to replace their state rep for the second time in as many years. And in Washington, the Supreme Court announced it would hear a case involving the City of Philadelphia and a Catholic foster care agency that does not place children with same-sex couples.

— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Vanessa Bryant offered a poignant speech about her husband, Kobe, and daughter Gianna yesterday at a packed memorial service for them in L.A. “God knew they couldn’t be on this Earth without each other,” she said. “He had to bring them home to have them together. Babe, you take care of our Gigi.”

Among the speakers were basketball legends ranging from Bryant’s teammate Shaquille O’Neal to WNBA star Diana Taurasi and college coach Geno Auriemma. Michael Jordan also spoke about Bryant, calling him his “little brother” and saying that he “wanted to be the best big brother that [he] could be.”

In the last year, the number of immigrants in Pennsylvania who will be able to cast ballots in November surged 7.9%, according to a bipartisan research organization. The group found that Pennsylvania was ranked 17th among states in percentage growth of eligible immigrant voters. But unlike many of the states ranked ahead of it, Pennsylvania is a battleground state that could ultimately swing the election.

Two things remain to be seen: how many of those eligible voters have registered or will register and then cast ballots, and to which candidates those votes will go.

🗳️Interested in how Pennsylvania is shaping the 2020 election? We’re launching a new email newsletter covering the nation’s ultimate battleground state. Sign up and don’t forget to pass it along.

The key question in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia is whether the city violated Catholic Social Services’ religious freedom rights when it canceled a contract with the agency because it refuses to place foster children with same-sex couples. The case is named for Sharon Fulton, a longtime foster parent with the Catholic group, who sued Philadelphia.

The city won twice in lower courts, which upheld the decision to stop placing children with Catholic Social Services. The Supreme Court announced yesterday it would hear the arguments sometime in the fall. It’s the first case on the subject since gay marriage was legalized in 2015.

Murals, mosaics, street paintings, and more. Philly has art everywhere you look. Nice shot, @denisewalksphilly.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

“He can still take what his mama gave him and thrust it toward a rival pitcher unsuspecting of his jelly. That party favor tongue still unfurls from an abbreviated snout. He can still shake his tail feathers, though they’re now a paler shade of blue.” — writes Paul Montgomery, a writer from Northeast Philly, about the subtle changes made to the Phillie Phanatic and whether they were made to avoid paying the mascot’s creators.

The Museum of the American Revolution will tell the story of New Jersey’s inclusive voting rights — in the 1700s. Later this year, the museum will open the exhibit called “When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807.”