Supreme Court to hear challenge over Colorado preschool funding and LGBTQ nondiscrimination rules
The Facts
- The Supreme Court agreed on April 20 to hear a case involving Catholic preschools in Colorado and the state’s universal preschool program.
- The case concerns whether Catholic preschools that maintain faith-based restrictions affecting LGBTQ families can participate in Colorado’s state-funded preschool program.
- Colorado’s preschool program provides public funding that families can use at public or private preschools, including faith-based programs.
- Colorado says religious schools may participate in the program if they comply with the state’s nondiscrimination rules.
- The Catholic challengers include St. Mary Catholic Parish and are joined by the Archdiocese of Denver.
- Lower courts ruled against the Catholic preschools before the Supreme Court agreed to review the case.
- The Trump administration is backing the Catholic preschools in the case.
Context
What is Colorado’s preschool program at issue?
It is a state-funded universal preschool program that pays for families to send children to participating preschools, including public, private, and faith-based providers NYT,Guardian,Daily Mail.
Why were the Catholic preschools excluded from the program?
Colorado denied them participation because the state requires providers in the program to follow nondiscrimination rules, while the preschools say their religious beliefs prevent them from admitting some LGBTQ families or children in those families NYT,Daily Mail,U.S. News & World R….
What has happened in the case so far?
The Catholic entities sued after Colorado refused an exemption, and lower courts sided with the state before the Supreme Court agreed to take the appeal NYT,POLITICO,U.S. News & World R….
How left and right read it
The case puts a basic public-policy question before the Court: when a state funds preschool options for families, can it require every participating provider to follow the same nondiscrimination rules. Colorado says faith-based schools are welcome in the universal program if they meet those standards, and lower courts agreed before the justices took the case.
At issue is whether faith-based preschools can take part in a public program that already includes private and religious providers without giving up religious admissions standards. The Catholic challengers, joined by the Archdiocese of Denver and backed by the Trump administration, are asking the Supreme Court to revisit lower-court rulings that sided with Colorado.
The receipts — all 78 sources
Wire services (15)
Independent coverage (50)
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