Catholic School Seeks to Expand Athletic Lawsuit
Bishop McCort Catholic Academy asks a federal judge to add six school districts and the PIAA as defendants in its religious discrimination case.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Law
Bishop McCort Catholic Academy has sought permission to file an amended complaint in its religious discrimination lawsuit against the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference (LHAC). A federal judge in Pittsburgh has ordered the remaining defendants to respond to the proposed 46-page amended complaint.
Why it matters
The filing signals that the dispute over religious schools' membership in LHAC has not been fully resolved despite a majority of districts agreeing to an out-of-court settlement. The outcome could shape how athletic conferences in Pennsylvania treat religious-based schools.
The proposed amended complaint, filed with U.S. District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand in Pittsburgh, asserts religious expression discrimination, an Equal Protection violation, and civil conspiracy claims. Whether the court will permit the amendment and how the defendants will respond remain undetermined.
The players
Bishop McCort Catholic Academy
A Catholic school in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that brought the religious discrimination lawsuit against the athletic conference.
Christy Criswell Wiegand
A U.S. District Judge in the Western District of Pennsylvania presiding over the case in Pittsburgh.
PIAA
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the state body that governs high school athletics and is named as a defendant.
The details
The proposed complaint alleges that public school members of LHAC conspired to remove religious-based schools from the conference, and that the PIAA refused to intervene despite knowing of the proposal. The school argues the religious discrimination issues have not been totally resolved and that religious schools, including McCort, have been disproportionately affected.
Timeline
January: Bishop McCort filed its original religious discrimination lawsuit.
September: A majority of LHAC districts agreed to an out-of-court settlement.
Late last year and early this year: The alleged conspiracy to remove religious schools took place.
Last Friday: McCort sought permission to file its amended complaint.
Monday: Judge Wiegand ordered the remaining defendants to respond to the proposed amended complaint.
Legal Context
The complaint invokes the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, the constitutional basis for challenging government-linked discrimination, and applies it to a state athletic association's conference membership rules. The case tests whether those protections reach private-school athletic disputes in Pennsylvania.
Families of students at religious schools in Pennsylvania may face changes to athletic eligibility and conference membership depending on how the court rules. The outcome could affect which schools compete together in LHAC and how state athletic rules are applied to private institutions.
The takeaway
Membership rules in school athletics can carry constitutional stakes when they affect religious institutions. Readers following the case should watch the court's ruling on whether the amended complaint is allowed to proceed.
Further reading
For related background, see Law coverage of constitutional and civil rights disputes in Pennsylvania.
