Rulings in the religious rights cases are expected by the close of the court's term in late June. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
On Monday, the high court heard a case brought by a Wisconsin-based Catholic charity group’s bid for tax relief, which could alter the current eligibility requirements for religious tax exemptions.
At issue in that case is whether the Wisconsin branch of Catholic Charities, a social services organization affiliated with Catholic dioceses across the country, can successfully contest the state's high court determination that it is ineligible for a religious tax exemption because it is not "operated primarily for religious purposes."
"Today's case involving Catholic Charities in Wisconsin involves questions that we've seen a number of times in different contexts," McHale said. "The question is essentially, can states determine how religious an organization is in order to ultimately determine whether they qualify for a religious exemption that's already available?"
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Attending President Donald Trump's inauguration are, from left, Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor on Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol. (Ricky Carioti /The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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"The Oklahoma charter school case seems to be a natural development from the religious school choice cases the Supreme Court's dealt with over the last 10 or so years," McHale said.
Regarding Mahmoud v. Taylor, the Maryland case about excusing children from LGBTQ material, McHale said "while there is an opt-out statute in state law, the school initially abided it," but "the school decided to yank the opt-out exception, so to speak, and it really triggered the issue of whether the Constitution requires an opt-out in that circumstance."
"For the Fourth Circuit to say there was no religious burden, it really seems radical, and given how pressing that issue of school curriculum on sexual orientation, gender identity is, I think it raises an issue worth the Supreme Court's attention," he said.
The Supreme Court has heard a number of religious rights cases in recent years. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)
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While President Donald Trump signed several gender-related executive orders to stamp out progressive gender ideology from institutions and the federal government earlier this year, McHale said it could likely reduce the infringement on religious rights in situations involving gender ideology, like schools requiring teachers to use students' preferred pronouns.
"The hope is Trump's executive orders and the shifting political ends ease those burdens outside the courts," McHale said. "We'll have to see how it all makes sense."
Jamie Joseph is a U.S. Politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering transgender and culture issues, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and stateside legislative developments.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scotus-rulings-term-could-strengthen-religious-rights-protections-expert-says