{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankford-walberg-lead-amicus-brief-defending-religious-liberty-in-supreme-court-school-choice-case/", "Lankford, Walberg Lead Amicus Brief Defending Religious Liberty in Supreme Court School Choice Case", "2026-07-07", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "OK", "James Lankford", "L000575", "www.lankford.senate.gov", "lankford", "https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "page_html", "OKLAHOMA CITY, OK \u2014 US Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI-05) led 43 Members of Congress\u201335 Representatives and eight Senators\u2013in filing an amicus brief in St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton, CO, et al. v. Lisa Roy, et al., a case the US Supreme Court will hear during its October 2026 Term.\n\nThe brief urges the Court to protect the constitutional rights of faith-based schools participating in school choice programs and warns that allowing the 10th Circuit\u2019s decision to stand could undermine Congress\u2019s tax credit scholarship program established under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.\n\n\u201cIn Oklahoma, we believe parents know what\u2019s best for their kids, including what school fits their family\u2019s faith,\u201d said Lankford. \u201cColorado decided Catholic preschools didn\u2019t get the same shot as everyone else, just because of their beliefs. That\u2019s not religious liberty, that\u2019s discrimination. I\u2019m proud to join this brief and ask the Court to protect every family\u2019s right to choose a school that reflects who they are.\u201d\n\n\u201cEvery family deserves the freedom to choose the school that\u2019s right for their child, including a faith-based school,\u201d said Walberg. \u201cWhen parents have more educational options, students have a better chance to learn in an environment where they can thrive. That\u2019s exactly what Congress worked to expand through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. States shouldn\u2019t be able to shut faith-based schools out of school choice programs. That\u2019s not religious liberty, and it\u2019s not what the Constitution requires. We urge the Supreme Court to reverse the 10th Circuit\u2019s decision.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nColorado\u2019s universal preschool program gives families funding to send their children to the public or private preschool of their choice. But while the state made exceptions for some secular schools, it excluded Catholic preschools from participating because those schools ask families to support Catholic teachings on sex and gender.\n\nIn September 2025, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Colorado could exclude Catholic preschools from its universal preschool program. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case next term.\n\nThe Members\u2019 brief argues that if the 10th Circuit\u2019s decision is allowed to stand, states could adopt similar policies that effectively exclude faith-based schools from participating in the federal tax credit scholarship program established under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which Congress enacted in 2025, undermining the religious freedom protected by the First Amendment.\n\nJoining Lankford and Walberg are US Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Jim Justice (R-WV), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Pete Ricketts (R-NE); and Representatives Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL-04), Rick W. Allen (R-GA-12), Tom Barrett (R-MI-07), Michael Baumgartner (R-WA-05), Aaron Bean (R-FL-04), Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05), Sheri Biggs (R-SC-03), Mike Bost (R-IL-12), Jeff Crank (R-CO-05), Byron Donalds (R-FL-19), Gabe Evans (R-CO-08), Randy Fine (R-FL-06), Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05), H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09), Glenn Grothman (R-WI-06), Mark Harris (R-NC-08), Clay Higgins (R-LA-03), Julia Letlow (R-LA-05), John McGuire (R-VA-05), Mark Messmer (R-IN-08), Mary Miller (R-IL-15), John Moolenaar (R-MI-02), Riley M. Moore (R-WV-02), Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), Bob Onder (R-MO-03), Burgess Owens (R-UT-04), August Pfluger (R-TX-11), John Rose (R-TN-06), Michael A. Rulli (R-OH-06), John Rutherford (R-FL-05), Adrian Smith (R-NE-03), Chris Smith (R-NJ-04), Daniel Webster (R-FL-11), and Joe Wilson (R-SC-02).\n\nYou can find the full text of the brief HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-08T07:27:19Z", "2026-07-08T07:28:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankford-walberg-lead-amicus-brief-defending-religious-liberty-in-supreme-court-school-choice-case/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9132600389420986, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}