Supreme Court Hears Religious Freedom Case Over Colorado Preschool Program

The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy on Nov. 3 to determine whether Colorado’s nondiscrimination requirements for its publicly funded Universal Preschool Program violate the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause.

The case involves Catholic schools seeking to participate in the state-funded preschool program while maintaining religious admissions policies concerning sexual orientation and gender. Lower courts uphold the state’s nondiscrimination requirements, finding them neutral and generally applicable.