Supreme Court Weighs Colorado Preschool Funding

What happened

Updated 10:15am ET

The Supreme Court heard arguments over whether Catholic preschools can receive Colorado funding while refusing to enroll children of LGBTQ+ parents.
Colorado’s program, launched in 2023, pays for 15 hours of preschool a week at participating public and private schools.
Participating schools must offer equal enrollment opportunities regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and Colorado says the Catholic schools’ admissions policies violate that requirement.
The Archdiocese of Denver, Catholic parishes and parents argue that conditioning funding on admissions policies that conflict with church teachings violates their First Amendment religious rights.
A decision is expected by summer and could clarify when religious objections allow exemptions from nondiscrimination rules.

How the left told it

Left-leaning outlets generally framed the case as a clash between religious freedom and protections for LGBTQ+ families. The New York Times asked whether schools can receive public money while turning those families away; The Guardian emphasized their exclusion policies, while PBS NewsHour presented the schools’ constitutional argument alongside Colorado’s discrimination claim.

How the right told it

Right-leaning outlets were split in framing. The Federalist portrayed Colorado’s conditions as religious coercion, saying schools could receive funding only if they “stopped acting religious.” Breitbart carried an Associated Press report that paired the schools’ religious-rights argument with Colorado’s position that their admissions policies violate antidiscrimination law.