No. 24-297October Term 2024Decided Jun 27, 2025
Tamer Mahmoud, et al., Petitioners v. Thomas W. Taylor, et al.
Parents sued a Maryland school board for eliminating the ability to opt their elementary-aged children out of curriculum featuring LGBTQ+ storybooks, arguing the mandatory instruction violated their religious rights.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Jun 27, 2025
- What it's about
Parents sued a Maryland school board for eliminating the ability to opt their elementary-aged children out of curriculum featuring LGBTQ+ storybooks, arguing the mandatory instruction violated their religious rights. The Supreme Court held that the no-opt-out policy unconstitutionally burdened the parents' free exercise of religion by substantially interfering with their ability to guide their children's religious development.
Question 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?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit / Decision released Jun 27, 2025
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Documents
Related cases




Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Mar 30, 2026
- Method
- Methodology
Primary materials9
Supreme Court docket 24-297
docket | Mar 30, 2026
Primary case document
Supreme Court document | Mar 30, 2026
CourtListener docket record
docket | Mar 30, 2026
Questions Presented
brief | Mar 8, 2026
opinion
opinion | Jun 27, 2025
Mahmoud
opinion | Jun 27, 2025
Oral Arguments - Mahmoud
audio | Apr 22, 2025
Petition
brief | Sep 12, 2024
Lower Court Orders/Opinions
order | Jul 24, 2024