Press Statement
For Immediate Release: 11.3.26
Contact: Peyton Drew, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
U.S. Supreme Court Hears Argument Over Colorado’s Exclusion of Religious Schools from State’s Universal Pre-School Program
Previous Supreme Court decisions determined denying religious participation in otherwise universally available funding programs to be unconstitutional.
Washington, DC— The Supreme Court of the United States today heard oral argument in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, where Catholic preschools in Colorado challenged the state’s eligibility requirement that effectively excludes religious schools from Colorado’s universal preschool program. First Liberty argued in its amicus brief that Colorado’s requirement operates as a form of religious discrimination in violation of the First Amendment.
This is religious discrimination. Excluding religious schools simply because they won’t conform to the state’s views on marriage and sexuality is wrong,” said Kelly Shackelford, President, CEO, and Chief Counsel for First Liberty Institute. “After our Supreme Court victory in Carson v. Makin, Maine enacted coercive conditions similar to those of Colorado to keep religious schools from being able to participate in its tuitioning program. In this case, the Supreme Court can once again remind state governments that what Maine and Colorado have done violates the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution.
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact Peyton Drew at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
