Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sharply questioned a coalition of Catholic schools on Tuesday that are seeking to be allowed into Colorado’s universal preschool program without having to admit families who do not abide by Catholic teachings, accusing them of asking for a “special rule” to discriminate.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, a case involving the state’s decision to bar Catholic preschools from its universal preschool programs because they refuse to comply with standards requiring schools to admit any child. The coalition of Catholic schools argued that asking them to admit families who do not follow Catholic teachings would sacrifice their beliefs, which they say violates their First Amendment rights. Jackson, along with the two other liberal justices on the high court, grilled Nicholas Reaves, a lawyer for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty representing the Catholic preschools, over whether their stance would allow for discrimination.
