Supreme Court Hears Colorado Catholic Preschools Case
Should the justices rule in favor of faith-based preschools that are being punished for their beliefs or should they make sure that no child is turned away?
Story
Above: The U.S. Supreme Court. Image credit: Kevin Carter/Getty Images
The Facts
- The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) heard about two hours of arguments Tuesday in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, with the court's 6-3 conservative majority appearing sympathetic to the Catholic preschools challenging Colorado's nondiscrimination requirement.
- In this case, the Archdiocese of Denver and two Catholic parishes sued after Colorado refused to grant an exemption, saying that the nondiscrimination rule forces a choice between a public benefit and their beliefs. The schools enroll only families who support church teaching, excluding students of LGBTQ+ parents.
- Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked whether the dispute was "a solution in search of a problem," while Justice Samuel Alito pointed to Colorado's record of losses at the high court in earlier religious liberty and free speech cases.
Sources Split
LEFT
CENTER
RIGHT
+2
+2
ESTAB
CRIT
CENTER
PRO
ESTAB
The Spin
Right narrative
SCOTUS should lean toward ruling in favor of faith-based preschools that are being punished for holding beliefs the Church has taught for centuries. No family should have to trade its convictions for the education dollars every other parent receives. Real choice disappears the moment the state decides which beliefs qualify for funding.
Left narrative
Tax dollars come with rules and refusing to turn away a child over a parent's sexual orientation is about as reasonable as rules get. SCOTUS must agree that a program voters funded for every preschooler can't carve out exceptions for schools that intend to exclude. Once belief becomes a blank check for discrimination, there's no principled place to draw the line.
