SCOTUS to hear case on conversion therapy for minors

The U.S. Supreme Court in a one-line statement Monday morning agreed to hear a case about the constitutionality of state laws that ban conversion therapy for children identified as LGBTQ. The court will hear the case of Chiles v. Salazar, et al. during its next term, which begins in October.

Who are the parties in the case? The case comes from Colorado, where the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver earlier upheld the state law against conversion therapy.

The Alliance Defending Freedom is representing Christian counselor Kaley Chiles, arguing that such laws restrict free speech rights and infringe on the free exercise of religion. Defenders of conversion therapy bans say counselors are licensed by the state and therefore can be regulated by the state.

How many states have banned conversion therapy? The bans threaten religious liberty in 21 U.S. States, according to the Religious Freedom Institute. They generally prohibit efforts to change a person’s sexual behavior or so-called gender expression, according to the Institute.

Has the court previously refused to hear this issue? In 2023, SCOTUS declined to decide on a similar challenge, though lower courts earlier made split decisions on conversion therapy bans. Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas were willing to hear the case, but four of the nine justices must agree to grant review.