Supreme Court to Hear Challenge Over Colorado's Exclusion of a Catholic Preschool
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether Colorado illegally barred a Catholic preschool from its universal preschool program because the school refuses to serve LGBTQ families.
The Supreme Court is set to hear St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy on November 3, examining whether Colorado's universal preschool eligibility rules unlawfully discriminate against a Catholic preschool that declines enrollment of LGBTQ families. The state's criteria demand that providers offer equal access regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and other factors, which the schools claim forces them to betray core Catholic doctrines.
They point to the Court's decisions in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020) and Carson v. Makin (2022), which held that states cannot exclude religious schools from generally available public benefits. Legal analysts expect the Court to follow that precedent, potentially requiring the state to accommodate the schools' religious convictions. The case also raises broader questions about the future of federal antidiscrimination protections. Commentary in the article also notes Justice Elena Kagan's recent remarks defending the Court against claims of partisan bias, highlighting ongoing internal tensions among the justices.
