Supreme Court will decide if preschools that decline children of same-sex couples may receive state funding

Key Points:

• The Supreme Court has agreed to review a Colorado law requiring preschools receiving taxpayer funds to enroll children of same-sex couples, setting up a key First Amendment case balancing religious rights against LGBTQ protections.
• The case involves Catholic parishes challenging the state's nondiscrimination provision, arguing it violates their free exercise rights by forcing them to enroll children of same-sex couples despite religious objections.
• The conservative-leaning court is likely to hear the case in the fall, with a decision expected next year, and may reconsider the 1990 precedent allowing generally applicable laws to be upheld even if they incidentally burden religion.
• Separately, the court declined to hear a parental rights case involving a Massachusetts middle school that recognized a child's genderqueer identity without parental consent, highlighting ongoing tensions around parental rights and gender identity in schools.
• The genderqueer student requested use of multiple pronouns at school, which complied with state anti-discrimination laws, reflecting the complex challenges schools face in balancing student privacy, parental rights, and gender identity protections.