Supreme Court hears case on Catholic preschool funding exclusion

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 15:19 · Archive

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over Colorado's exclusion of Catholic preschools from a state-funded program due to their LGBTQ+ admissions policies.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether Catholic preschools can be excluded from Colorado's state-funded universal preschool programme because they refuse to admit children from same-sex families. The case involves St. Mary Catholic Parish and the Archdiocese of Denver, which say their admissions policy is based on religious teachings about same-sex marriage.

Colorado argues that the schools' refusal to admit children from LGBTQ+ families violates state anti-discrimination law. The Catholic institutions counter that excluding them from the programme violates their free-exercise rights. President Trump's administration is supporting the preschools. The Colorado universal preschool programme, created by a 2020 ballot measure, provides public funding for preschool at schools chosen by parents.

A victory for the preschools could narrow a landmark 1990 Supreme Court decision that found religious practices do not create exemptions from laws that apply broadly. The Supreme Court has sided with religious schools in similar disputes in recent years, ruling that they cannot be excluded from programmes in Maine and Montana that provide public aid to private schools. In 2025, the court deadlocked over a plan to establish a publicly funded Catholic charter school after Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself.

How it is being reported

• Case over state funding for Catholic preschools in Colorado comes before the Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court is hearing a case involving Catholic preschools challenging their exclusion from a Colorado state-funded program.News4Jax · 3 Nov, 14:46
• Case over state funding for Catholic preschools in Colorado comes before the Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court is hearing a case involving Catholic preschools challenging their exclusion from a Colorado state-funded program.Clickorlando · 3 Nov, 14:46

In this story: St. Mary Catholic Parish · Archdiocese of Denver · Colorado · Supreme Court · Donald Trump

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log