Politics · United States · 2 hrs ago
Supreme Court to hear Colorado preschool religious rights dispute
The Supreme Court will hear a case over Colorado’s preschool rules on Tuesday.
The dispute involves Catholic preschools that say their religious beliefs prevent them from enrolling children from families who do not follow church teachings on marriage and sex.
Colorado’s publicly funded preschool program is open to public, private, religious and secular providers, but participating schools must follow a state rule requiring equal enrollment opportunities.
The Archdiocese of Denver sought an exemption, but Colorado refused, and its 34 preschools do not take part in the program.
The Catholic groups and parents who sued say excluding the schools violates religious freedom; the dispute also concerns protections for LGBTQ people against discrimination.
The case follows a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that barred Maine from excluding religious schools from a tuition-assistance program.
The justices will hear arguments, and their decision could affect whether religious schools can receive public funding while following their beliefs.
The Supreme Court is set to hear a challenge over whether Colorado can exclude Catholic preschools from its universal preschool program.
The Catholic schools say the state’s nondiscrimination rule conflicts with their religious beliefs about marriage and sex.
Colorado requires participating preschools to give eligible children an equal opportunity to enroll, including regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The case concerns the balance between religious rights and protections against discrimination affecting gay and transgender people.
The court hearing could affect whether religious schools can receive public funding through state programs.
- Who
- The Supreme Court will hear a case brought by the Archdiocese of Denver, two Catholic parishes and parents.
- What
- The case challenges Colorado’s exclusion of Catholic preschools from its universal preschool program over the schools’ enrollment policies.
- When
- Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
- Where
- The Supreme Court in Washington; the program is in Colorado.
- Why
- The Catholic plaintiffs say the state’s nondiscrimination rule conflicts with their religious beliefs and violates their constitutional rights.
Catholic plaintiffs
Colorado
Enrollment rules
Catholic plaintiffs
The Catholic schools say their religious beliefs require them to admit families that align with Catholic teachings.
Colorado
Colorado requires participating preschools to give eligible children an equal opportunity to enroll, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Religious exemption
Catholic plaintiffs
The plaintiffs sought an exemption from the nondiscrimination rule.
Colorado
The state denied the request and said providers could not discriminate in violation of state law.
Colorado voters approved a ballot measure to fund a new universal preschool program.
The Archdiocese of Denver, two Catholic parishes and parents filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s rules.
The Supreme Court is set to hear the dispute.
- Eligible children
- Roughly 40,000
- Preschool providers
- Nearly 2,000
- Weekly funding coverage
- 15 hours of preschool
- Annual reimbursement
- More than $6,000 per year
- Archdiocese of Denver
- Oversees 34 Catholic preschools
3 sources
What people are saying
This is a program that was sold to them in Colorado as being universal, every child in the state would benefit