U.S. Supreme Court justices appeared starkly split during nearly three hours of oral arguments on Tuesday in a case that has the potential to set precedent on parental opt-out policies for schools nationwide and weigh in on LGBTQ+ curriculum policies that have contributed to a polarized national landscape.
At the heart of Mahmoud v. Taylor is the question of whether public schools violate parents’ religious freedom when exposing students to books on gender and sexuality without notifying parents or allowing them to opt their children out.