Supreme Court to Hear Colorado Preschool Religious-Exemption Case on Tuesday
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday, November 3, in a challenge by Catholic groups to Colorado rules barring anti-LGBT discrimination at publicly funded preschools. The Archdiocese of Denver and other Catholic entities are seeking an exemption from the nondiscrimination requirement in the state's preschool funding program. President Donald Trump's administration is backing the Catholic groups, and the case tests whether conservative religious interests can extend their winning streak at the court.
Since 2023, Colorado children have been eligible for 15 hours per week of state-funded preschool. Participating preschools may be public or private, secular or religious, but under state law each must give all children an equal opportunity to enroll, regardless of the sexual orientation or gender identity of the students or parents. The archdiocese oversees 34 Catholic preschools and, according to court papers, admits students only from families who support Catholic beliefs, including on same-sex relationships and gender identity. The archdiocese, other Catholic entities and a Colorado family sued as the universal preschool initiative was ramping up, arguing that the anti-discrimination mandate burdened their religious exercise.
Colorado officials have accused the Catholic preschools of seeking legal permission to discriminate against 4-year-olds and their families while receiving taxpayer dollars. The state argues that its equal-opportunity requirements are neutral, apply generally to participating groups, and do not intrude on the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause.
A Colorado-based federal judge upheld the state program's protections for LGBT people in 2024, and the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling last year, setting up the Supreme Court appeal. The challengers are represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which says it is undefeated in 13 cases before the Supreme Court.
The court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, has sided with conservative religious litigants in a series of recent disputes, including a 2022 ruling on Maine's tuition assistance program and a 2020 ruling on Montana tax credits. Groups backing Colorado, including the ACLU, told the justices that siding with the Catholic groups would force the government to provide taxpayer dollars to beneficiaries whose conduct undercuts state policy goals, including equality goals.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的联邦最高法院大楼。GSM自家图库联邦素材包固定图。 / The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington. GSM federal asset-pack file photo.
