Supreme Court to Hear Religious Liberty Case on Catholic Preschools and LGBTQ Families
The Supreme Court on Monday added several high-profile matters to its docket. The orders stem from the justices’ private conference on Friday, April 17.
Catholic preschool challenge from Colorado
In St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, the court agreed to review a Colorado preschool’s exclusion from a universal preschool program. The Littleton school says the state’s rules force it to admit everyone, including LGBTQ children and children of LGBTQ parents. It argues that denial of an exemption violates the First Amendment.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit rejected that claim. The appeals court viewed Colorado’s conditions as neutral and generally applicable. The preschool sought Supreme Court review last fall, and the justices declined to revive Employment Division v. Smith. They will, however, hear oral argument in the case.
Sentence enhancement dispute in gun case
The court granted review in Beaird v. United States. Kendrick Beaird was convicted as a felon in possession of a firearm.
Beaird challenged his sentence enhancement tied to a magazine labeled a “large capacity magazine” in Sentencing Guidelines commentary. The justices will decide whether a 1993 case about treating Guidelines commentary still controls. They did not agree to address the constitutionality of Beaird’s underlying conviction.
Washington, D.C. juvenile detention reversal
In District of Columbia v. R.W., the Supreme Court summarily reversed the D.C. Court of Appeals. That court had thrown out a teen’s convictions for unauthorized use of a vehicle and related offenses.
The facts: an officer responded to a radio call about a “suspicious vehicle” in 2023. Two passengers ran. The car began backing with its rear door open. The officer blocked the car, ordered the driver to raise his hands, and drew his gun.
The juvenile, identified as R.W., argued the officer lacked reasonable suspicion. The trial court denied suppression, and the teen received one year of probation. The D.C. Court of Appeals reversed, finding the radio call and the others’ flight were insufficient to justify the stop.
The Supreme Court disagreed in a six-page unsigned opinion. It found that the totality of circumstances supported reasonable suspicion. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she would have denied review. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, faulting the court for intervening without full briefing and argument.
Hague Convention child-abduction petition denied
The court declined to review Castro v. Guevara, a Hague Convention case. The dispute involved a child taken from Venezuela to the United States in November 2021.
Father Jose Leonardo Brito Guevara sought the child’s return under the convention. He filed in federal court in Texas, but the district court held trial only in March 2024. The district court found the child was “well settled” in the United States and denied return.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reversed. It said the child had not formed deep ties to the new environment. The mother is named Samantha Estafania Francisco Castro.
Petitioners asked the Supreme Court in December to resolve the proper standard of appellate review. The justices denied review after four conferences. Justice Sotomayor wrote a four-page statement. She said the legal question deserves attention but noted the child had returned to Venezuela after a Supreme Court interim order.
Parental-rights suit over school transition practices
The justices turned down review of a federal civil rights lawsuit from Massachusetts parents. Plaintiffs Stephen Foote and Marissa Silvestri sued the Ludlow School Committee in 2022. They said the district encouraged their child’s social transition over their objections and kept it from them.
The parents argued the district violated constitutional parental rights. Lower courts rejected the claim. The school district countered that no secret protocol existed and that staff followed state rules and guidance.
The Supreme Court declined the petition without comment after considering it at 13 conferences. The order followed an interim-docket decision involving California parents. In that earlier matter, a majority suggested the parents were likely to prevail on free-exercise and parental-rights claims.
Context and keywords
The court’s action means the Supreme Court will take up significant questions about religious liberty and school rules. The docket now includes a religious-liberty dispute involving a Catholic preschool and LGBTQ families. Filmogaz.com will follow developments as the cases proceed to argument.
