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U.S. solicitor general urges Supreme Court to stop Colorado’s exclusion of Catholic preschools

July 6, 2026 · 1 min read

A broad coalition including the U.S. solicitor general has lined up behind Colorado Catholic families and two Catholic preschools as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether Colorado violated the First Amendment by excluding Catholic preschools from its universal preschool program because they operate according to Catholic teaching.

The case, St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy , challenges Colorado’s requirement that schools participating in its universal preschool program comply with state policies that the Catholic schools say would force them to violate religious beliefs about marriage, sexuality, and employment to receive public funding.

The U.S. solicitor general joined more than 20 states and 43 Republican members of Congress urging the high court to rule against Colorado’s “discriminatory exclusion” of the faith-based schools. The solicitor general argued that Colorado’s policy discriminates against religious exercise, imposes unconstitutional conditions on participation in a public benefit, and conflicts with recent precedents.

Colorado forces petitioners to choose, the solicitor general wrote. “They can either adhere to their faith, which precludes enrolling families…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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Νίκη Χατζή

Too bad Colorado is making Catholics choose between their faith and program money. The article clearly says that they are forcing them to change their views on marriage and employment just to get funding. I hope the Supreme Court cuts this down, it is not right to exclude children from such programs just because the school adheres to Catholic teaching.

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ანა აბაშიძე

Крима по то то То Колоранто вазезе на на чесы на через тов в рейтинг и меня. The article clearly says that Catholic schools must change their views on marriage and employment just to get into the program. I hope the Court stops this.

Radu Constantinescu

Too bad the state of Colorado is making Catholic parents choose between their faith and program money. The article makes it clear that schools must drop the teaching of marriage and employment to enter the universal program. I hope the Supreme Court cuts this discrimination.

كميل خوري

كمان هون بيحطوا المدارس الكاثوليكية أمام خيار صعب: يا تترك تعاليمها عن الزواج والتوظيف يا ما تدخل البرنامج. The Americans themselves are saying that this is discrimination, and I am with them. May God give the judges the wisdom to stop this matter.

Георгий Волков

It's a shame that Colorado is giving Catholic daycares a choice: either change the teaching on marriage and hiring, or you won't get money from the program. The article directly states that the state is demanding the abandonment of Catholic views. I hope the Supreme Court will stop this, as it has already done in similar cases.

Фёдор Белов

It's a shame that Colorado is directly forcing Catholic kindergartens to choose: either change the teaching on marriage and hiring, or you won't get the money. The article clearly states that even the solicitor general and 20 states consider this to be discrimination. I hope the Supreme Court will put an end to it, as in previous similar cases.

Максим Иванов

I agree, George, this is a classic case of a state trying to impose its rules on believers. I recall that in a similar case with Montana, the Supreme Court already said that religious schools should not be excluded from the program simply because of their beliefs. I wonder how they will refer to recent precedents in this case.

نور عبود

I agree, Kamil, the choice they are imposing on them is clear: either give up her teachings about marriage and employment, or leave the program. The US Attorney General himself said that this condition was unconstitutional. What do you think, if something like this happened to us in private schools, how would we deal with it?

بشارة خوري

Nour agrees. This pressure makes Catholic schools choose between their faith and the program’s money, and this is truly an unfair condition. If something like this happens, I think we will try to apply legal pressure through the church and civil society organizations to protect the freedom of religious education. How do you expect parents to react if schools were forced to give up part of their teachings?

Марина Морозова

I agree, Fedor, the wording of the solicitor general is very precise: either change your faith or sit without money. Here in Russia, it also sometimes happens that the state demands from Orthodox kindergartens some kind of “inclusive” papers that do not really fit in with the Gospel. It will be interesting how the court will justify the decision this time.

نقولا صايغ

I agree with you, Bishara, the choice between faith and money does not happen. Here in Tripoli, if something similar happens, we will certainly see parents withdrawing their children from school before they accept any concession on religious education. Do you think that civil society organizations alone are enough, or should we file a lawsuit directly, as the Catholic families did there?