The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case challenging a Colorado law that bans "conversion therapy" for minors. (Getty Images)
According to the writ, the question to be considered at oral arguments before the court is, "Whether a law that censors certain conversations between counselors and their clients based on the viewpoints expressed regulates conduct or violates the Free Speech Clause."
Heritage Foundation legal scholar Sarah Parshall Perry said the law is a "very clear First Amendment violation" and that the state legislature has essentially set up a "constitutional challenge based on viewpoint discrimination."
"The state of Colorado has averred that the legislature has determined that the standard of care for these individuals should not be anything other than affirmation of their desires for homosexual orientation or a divergent gender identity, and this herein really lies the rub," Perry told Fox News Digital in an interview. "and that's exactly how the petitioner, Kaley Chiles, has presented it here. She said, essentially, in layman's terms, on the one side, you're allowing conversations to do nothing but affirm."
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office filed an amicus brief in support of the state's Minor Conversion Therapy Law, which was enacted in 2019. The legislation specifically prevents mental health professionals from engaging in "conversion therapy" with minors.
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The Supreme Court has heard other cases recently touching on LGBT issues. (iStock)
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While this is one of several recent cases SCOTUS has accepted to hear that deals with gender ideology issues – a culture war issue President Donald Trump has weighed in on through several executive actions since taking office – it also bucked several high-profile petitions last week, including Maryland’s ban on semi-automatic firearms and Rhode Island’s ban of high-capacity magazines.
"It's not in any way emblematic of the fact that there is a conservative in the White House, simply because these justices, three of them, have been appointed by this particular POTUS, I don't think has any bearing one way or the other, and they have been very strong on the First Amendment," Perry said. "This, to my mind, should be a very easy case."
Jamie Joseph is a U.S. Politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering transgender and culture issues, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and stateside legislative developments.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/blue-states-lgbt-conversion-therapy-ban-violates-constitution-very-easy-case-scotus-says-expert