Supreme Court to decide if religious schools can take public money and still discriminate

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a case that could determine whether religious schools can accept public funding while maintaining the right to discriminate. The dispute centers around two Catholic preschools in Colorado, which refused to agree to the state's non-discrimination rules for their preschool programs. These rules prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other factors.

The parishes that operated the preschools sued, arguing that such a conflict would violate their Catholic beliefs on sex and gender. This case will be heard by a conservative-dominated Supreme Court, which has recently been involved in several cases challenging traditional understandings of church-state separation. The court's decision could have far-reaching implications beyond Colorado, as more public money is flowing to private religious schools through various funding programs.

Some advocates fear that a ruling in favor of the preschools could allow for the legal exclusion of LGBTQ families and open the door to the exclusion of other vulnerable groups under the guise of religious liberty. On the other hand, supporters argue that the case raises concerns about the balance between religious freedom and LGBTQ rights.

While the Carson v. Makin decision cleared the way for religious schools to participate in public funding programs, it did not explicitly address whether states can require religious schools to agree to non-discrimination rules.