Description
On February 10, 2026, Professor Zalman Rothschild, Horn Family Distinguished Research Scholar in Law and Religion at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, testified before the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education of the House Committee on Education and Workforce. His testimony addressed the Supreme Court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor and its implications for parental rights, religious liberty, public education, vaccination mandates, and compulsory schooling.
Professor Rothschild situates Mahmoud within the broader constitutional tradition shaped by Pierce v. Society of Sisters, West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, and Wisconsin v. Yoder, arguing that the decision departs from longstanding limits on parental opt-out rights. He warns that expanding constitutionalized parental exemptions may undermine public health laws, compulsory education requirements, and the stability of public institutions.
Publication Date
2-10-2026
Publisher
U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Education and the Workforce, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
City
Washington, DC
Disciplines
Civil Rights and Discrimination | Constitutional Law | Education Law | First Amendment
Recommended Citation
Rothschild, Zalman, "Testimony of Professor Zalman Rothschild Before the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Regarding Mahmoud v. Taylor" (2026). Testimony. 17.
https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/faculty-testimony/17
Included in
Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Constitutional Law Commons, Education Law Commons, First Amendment Commons
Comments
Written testimony submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Education and the Workforce, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, for a hearing concerning Mahmoud v. Taylor, February 10, 2026.