Supreme Court hears oral arguments from State of Colorado and Catholic plaintiffs

On November 1, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case involving St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, where Colorado's refusal to include religious schools in its universal preschool program was challenged by Catholic institutions and families. The case centers around whether religious schools can exclude students from LGBTQ+ families without violating state anti-discrimination laws. Erika Nagle, a mother of three whose children attend St. Mary Catholic School in Littleton, Colorado, claims her family was denied $12,000 in taxpayer-funded preschool benefits because she chose a Catholic education for her children. The program, worth up to $6,300 per child, aims to provide universal access but includes conditions that religious schools find discriminatory. If the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, it could allow more public funds to flow to religious schools despite state nondiscrimination policies.