Overview

• The Supreme Court’s 6–3 ruling on June 27 enjoined Montgomery County Public Schools to notify parents before LGBTQ-inclusive storybook lessons and restore the right to opt out pending final adjudication under strict scrutiny.
• Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito invoked precedent from Pierce v. Society of Sisters and Wisconsin v. Yoder to affirm parents’ free exercise rights against mandatory curricular content.
• Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Kagan and Jackson, dissented, cautioning that the decision invents a right to avoid exposure to ideas and threatens to overwhelm school administrations.
• LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and major teachers’ unions condemned the injunction as eroding student representation, while lawmakers and some union leaders warned it could trigger opt-out challenges to science, history and other subjects.
• Legal experts characterize the decision as a narrow ruling centered on procedural pluralism, not a blanket authorization for curriculum censorship, prompting districts nationwide to adjust opt-out policies.