The Supreme Court is considering what may be the most important religious liberty case it will review this term. In Mahmoud v. Taylor, religious parents representing various faiths are suing Maryland's Montgomery County Public School District (MCPS) to let them opt their children out of elementary school storybook discussions surrounding themes such as sexuality and gender.
During oral arguments, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson questioned the plaintiffs' case. "I'm struggling to see how it burdens a parent's religious exercise if the school teaches something that the parent disagrees with," Jackson said. "You have a choice. You don't have to send your kid to that school. You can put them in another situation."
Practically speaking, many families don't have a viable educational alternative in Maryland. Without robust school choice, families on the losing end of zero-sum culture war clashes in public schools have little recourse.
