Mahmoud v. Taylor

Mahmoud v. Taylor
Decided June 27, 2025
Full case nameTamer Mahmoud, et al. v. Thomas W. Taylor, et al.
Docket no.24-297
ArgumentOral argument
Case history
PriorPreliminary injunction denied, Mahmoud v. McKnight, 688 F. Supp. 3d 265 (D. Md. 2023); affirmed, 102 F.4th 191 (4th Cir. 2024); cert. granted (Jan. 17, 2025)
Questions presented
"Do public schools burden parents' religious exercise when they compel elementary school children to participate in instruction on gender and sexuality against their parents' religious convictions and without notice or opportunity to opt out?"
Holding
Parents challenging the Board’s introduction of the "LGBTQ+-inclusive" storybooks, along with its decision to withhold opt-outs, are entitled to a preliminary injunction.
Court membership
Chief Justice
John Roberts
Associate Justices
Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito
Sonia Sotomayor · Elena Kagan
Neil Gorsuch · Brett Kavanaugh
Amy Coney Barrett · Ketanji Brown Jackson
Case opinions
MajorityAlito, joined by Roberts, Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett
ConcurrenceThomas
DissentSotomayor, joined by Kagan, Jackson
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. I

Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. 522 (2025), is a United States Supreme Court case about parents who wished to opt their children out of instruction involving LGBTQ-themed storybooks in a Maryland public school system. The Court held that the school district's policy of not permitting opt-outs violated the parents' right to free exercise of religion under the First Amendment.