The Supreme Court agreed in a case from Colorado to decide whether state and local governments can enforce laws banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ kids
A crowd gathered at the Utah State Capitol Friday to wave a giant pride flag in response to the Utah Legislature passing HB 77, which bans pride and other flags in schools and government buildings. The Supreme Court agreed Monday in a case from Colorado to decide whether state and local governments can enforce laws banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children.
The conservative-led court is taking up the case amid actions by President Donald Trump targeting transgender people, including a ban on military service and an end to federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The justices also have heard arguments in a Tennessee case over whether state bans on treating transgender minors violate the Constitution. But they have yet to issue a decision. Colorado is among roughly half the states that prohibit the practice of trying to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling. The issue is whether the law violates the speech rights of counselors. Defenders of such laws argue that they regulate the conduct of professionals who are licensed by the state. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld the state law. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has struck down local local bans in Florida. In 2023, the court had turned away a similar challenge, despite a split among federal appeals courts that had weighed state bans and come to differing decisions. At the time, three justices, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, said they would have taken on the issue. It takes four justices to grant review. The nine-member court does not typically reveal how justices vote at this stage of a case so it’s unclear who might have provided the fourth vote. The case will be argued in the court’s new term, which begins in October. The appeal on behalf of Kaley Chiles, a counselor in Colorado Springs, was filed by Alliance Defending Freedom, the conservative legal organization that has appeared frequently at the court in recent years in cases involving high-profile social issues. One of those cases was a 5-4 decision in 2018 in which the justices ruled that California could not force state-licensed anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers to provide information about abortion. Chiles’ lawyers leaned heavily on that decision in asking the court to take up her case. They wrote that Chiles doesn’t “seek to ‘cure’ clients of same-sex attractions or to ‘change’ clients’ sexual orientation.” In arguing for the court to reject the appeal, lawyers for Colorado wrote that lawmakers acted to regulate professional conduct, “based on overwhelming evidence that efforts to change a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity are unsafe and ineffective.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Equality Illinois' Chicago gala honors activist who led charge to legalize same-sex marriage in 2015LGBTQ+ activist Jim Obergefell was lead plaintiff of Supreme Court case 10 years ago
Read more »
Federal appeals court queues up first test of Trump’s power for Supreme CourtA federal appeals court in Washington on Saturday allowed the head of a government ethics watchdog agency whom President Donald Trump fired last week to stay on the job, a decision that will likely tee up the fight over similar dismissals for the Supreme Court.
Read more »
Supreme Court temporarily halts lower court's order for Trump to unfreeze foreign aid fundsThis is additional taxonomy that helps us with analytics
Read more »
Supreme Court Upholds Utah Court's Decision to Overturn Death SentenceThe Supreme Court refused to hear the state's appeal in the case of Douglas Lovell, who was convicted of murdering Joyce Yost to prevent her from testifying against him in a rape case. The Utah Supreme Court had previously overturned Lovell's death sentence, citing ineffective assistance of counsel.
Read more »
Supreme Court to take up bans on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ kids, in Colorado caseThe Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether state and local governments can enforce laws banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children, in a Colorado case
Read more »
Supreme Court will take up state bans on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ childrenThe conservative-led court said Monday it’ll hear a challenge to the law, amid actions by President Donald Trump targeting transgender people, including a ban on military service and an end to federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
Read more »