Mahmoud v. Taylor

The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in a case that will determine whether parents of public schoolchildren have a constitutional right to opt their kids out of lessons featuring LGBTQ characters and themes.

The challenge comes from a group of Muslim, Catholic, and Ukrainian Orthodox parents who say Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools violated their First Amendment rights by refusing to allow exemptions from lessons they believe conflict with their religious views. The district—the most religiously diverse in the US—introduced the books in 2022 to reflect its diverse student body, initially allowing opt-outs but later ending the policy, citing disruptions to classroom instruction.

Lower courts ruled in favor of the district, finding exposure to the books does not coerce children to abandon their religious beliefs and that parents remain free to teach their values at home. The Supreme Court’s decision is expected later this year. 

Separately, a federal appeals court is weighing the Pentagon’s ban on transgender individuals from serving openly in the military.