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SCOTUSblog (Erwin Chemerinsky, case preview)
Supreme Court hears Catholic preschool case on Election Day
St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy could reshape how far religious claims can override state nondiscrimination rules
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will hear argument Tuesday in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy (No. 25-581). Two Catholic parish preschools and the Archdiocese of Denver are challenging a condition of Colorado's universal preschool program. Participating schools must offer equal enrollment regardless of a child's religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, including that of the child's family. The parishes say their faith requires them to consider those factors in admissions. Colorado says the rule is neutral and applies to every provider. The 10th Circuit sided with the state, relying on Employment Division v. Smith. The justices declined to take up overruling Smith directly, but legal commentators say the case sits close to that question. The Trump administration backs the Catholic schools. Rulings are expected by the end of the term in the summer. The Court has sided with the religious claimant in all six religion cases since Justice Barrett joined it in 2020, according to one education-news analysis.
Why it mattersThe ruling could define when religious institutions that take public money must follow antidiscrimination conditions, and whether Smith survives in practice.
Bishops' Oval Office prayer for Trump draws apologies and a nuns' rebuke
Twelve prelates met the president 12 days before the midterms; two have since voiced regret
WASHINGTON — Twelve Catholic bishops prayed over President Trump in the Oval Office on Oct. 22 after a White House Faith Office meeting. The White House posted video of the prayer. Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob said Oct. 25 that the bishops did not consent to its release and that the event was manipulated. Des Moines Bishop William Joensen also expressed regret. Denver Archbishop James Golka, who led the prayer, said he did not intend an endorsement. The White House Faith Office director said the video was not politics. A White House spokeswoman said no president has done more for Catholic Americans. The Sisters of Charity of New York have since publicly asked where concern for the poor and immigrants was in the scene. An independent Catholic newsletter says the bishops' conference spokesperson contradicted a claim that conference leaders knew of the meeting. CNN and OSV News reported the bishops' own statements. The U.S. bishops meet in Baltimore next month.
Why it mattersThe episode tests how clergy engage political power during an election period, and exposes tension between U.S. bishops and Pope Leo XIV's emphasis on migrants and the poor.
Pope Leo: 'Machines are tools, not persons,' rejects legal rights for AI
Address to Vatican-Future of Life Institute conference urges continued regulation
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV told participants in a one-day Vatican meeting on artificial intelligence on Friday that AI can never replace the human person and that regulation must continue. The conference was organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Future of Life Institute. Leo said some people now propose granting AI systems rights or even legal personhood, and he rejected the idea, calling machines tools rather than persons. Vatican News separately summarized the address as saying decisions that affect human life must never be delegated to machines. The remarks build on Leo's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, presented in May, which addresses protecting the human person in the age of AI. Leo has also told Mercedes-Benz executives this week that technological innovation should serve human dignity. The pope leaves in early November for Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Why it mattersThe Vatican is taking a firm position in the growing debate over machine moral status and legal personhood, which is also a live question in philosophy and law.
