Religion · Statewide · CO · August 15, 2026
Amicus Briefs: Colorado Preschool Program Devalues Catholic School's Faith Claim
What Alinsky tactic is being used
2 of the thirteen rules are in play here — campaigns rarely run just one.
Rule 4
“Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”
The whole legal argument here is Rule 4 run in reverse — the petitioners are making Colorado live up to its own book. The state calls the program "universal" and says its equal-opportunity requirement applies to everyone, yet the professors' brief points to a "catch-all" preference for children who are "part of a specific community," which the Universal Preschool director testified could permit preferences for gender-nonconforming children or children of color, while the Catholic school's exemption request was refused. The tactic only bites because that gap between the stated rule and the actual practice is documented in sworn testimony.
Counter-Rule 4 · Radical Integrity
Close the gap between stated values and actual practice before anyone else finds it. This tactic only works where the gap is real.
The same blade cuts both ways, so close your own gap first: if your church or school takes public early-childhood money, pull the participation agreement you actually signed and read it against your written admissions policy this month. Where the two disagree, fix the document before someone else finds the discrepancy in discovery. Keep dated board minutes showing the policy was adopted deliberately, not improvised after a complaint.
Rule 11
“If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counterside.”
This story is easy to overstate in exactly the way Rule 11 rewards. "Colorado bans Catholic schools from preschool" is not what the record says: the Tenth Circuit ruled 3-0 on September 30, 2025 that the nondiscrimination requirement is neutral and generally applicable, and called the program a model of accommodation. No ruling has issued from the Supreme Court, argument is still ahead, and the dispute is about one exemption request and one contract term.
Counter-Rule 11 · Proportional Truth
Refuse to overclaim, even where it would help. One exaggeration hands the other side the only weapon that works permanently.
Say only what the docket supports: a cert grant on April 20, 2026, argument set for November 3, 2026, and a live dispute over whether a discretionary preference category destroys general applicability. When you speak at a board meeting or forward the analysis, name the Tenth Circuit's unanimous ruling against the parishes rather than leaving it out — you will be the person in the room who knew the losing facts, and that is what buys you credibility for the next thing.
Chapter 3 sets out the rules; Chapter 15 answers each of them in turn. This is that pairing applied to this story.
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