A Colorado preschool case will be the Supreme Court’s latest to test boundaries of LGBTQ rights and religious freedom

In the upcoming 2026 term of the U.S. Supreme Court, the St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy case will be among several challenges to Colorado's antidiscrimination laws. This case specifically addresses the conflict between the state's Universal Preschool Program and the First Amendment's religious liberty protections.

The Universal Preschool Program requires preschools to abide by a nondiscrimination policy, which prohibits denial of admission based on a student's or parent's sexual orientation or gender identity. However, two Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Denver – St. Mary in Littleton and St. Bernadette in Lakewood – argued that this policy violated their First Amendment right to freely practice their religion.

This case is significant as it highlights the ongoing tension between LGBTQ+ rights and religious freedom. The St. Mary case is also noteworthy for being yet another case from Colorado, with the state having been the source of five such cases over the past three decades. The first major Supreme Court decision recognizing constitutional protection for LGBTQ+ individuals was the 1996 case Romer v. Evans, also from Colorado.

Fast forward to the present day, and Colorado's stance on LGBTQ+ protections has been tested in the Supreme Court five times within a 30-year period. In each instance since the 2018 case Masterpiece Cakeshop, the state has lost its arguments before the highest court in the land.