Justices Gorsuch, left, and Roberts (AP/SCOTUS)
"They're very malleable," Perry said of the 4-and 5-year-olds in the case. "They're very much shaped by their environment, by what they're exposed to, and they don't have the meaningful agency to be able to opt out or object or push back. And so these individuals are learning their own familial values while being exposed to material that is, as Justice [Amy Coney] Barrett and Justice [Neil] Gorsuch pointed out, designed to influence their thinking."
At the heart of Mahmoud v. Taylor is a lawsuit brought by religious parents—Muslim, Roman Catholic, and Ukrainian Orthodox—who argue that the school district’s policy violates their First Amendment rights by forcing their children to engage with instruction that contradicts their faith.
The Fourth Circuit Court, a federal appeals court, ruled last year that there was no violation of religious exercise rights, stating that the policy did not force parents to change their religious beliefs or conduct and that parents could still teach their children outside of school.
Several conservative justices, including Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, appeared sympathetic to the parents' concerns during the two-and-a-half-hour oral debate. Alito questioned the moral messages conveyed by books like "Uncle Bobby's Wedding," suggesting that such content might conflict with deeply held religious beliefs. Justice Brett Kavanaugh also pressed the school district's attorneys on why opt-out provisions, similar to those in sex education, could not be extended to these storybooks.
PARENTS TELL SCOTUS: LGBTQ STORYBOOKS IN CLASSROOMS CLASH WITH OUR FAITH
(Fox News Digital)
Among the storybooks at the center of the case is "Prince & Knight," a modern fairy tale aimed at children ages 4 to 8, which tells the story of two men who fall in love after joining forces to defeat a dragon and later marry. Another book frequently referenced during oral arguments was "Uncle Bobby's Wedding," which follows a young girl processing her favorite uncle’s decision to marry another man.
"Because parental rights have become sort of the cultural zeitgeist for where we are in this political day and age, I think we are certain to see more litigation, not less, and more pushback," Perry said.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the case by late June.
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/lgbtq-opt-out-case-before-supreme-court-cultural-zeitgeist-expert-says