SCOTUS Rules Against Colo. Ban on Conversion Therapy

The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave a conservative Christian therapist a win, dealing a setback to state efforts to restrict conversion therapy for minors. In an 8-1 ruling, the justices said Colorado's ban on licensed therapists trying to change a young person's sexual orientation or gender identity violates the therapist's First Amendment free speech rights, reports NBC News. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, said the Constitution protects against government efforts to impose "orthodoxy in thought or speech."

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone dissenter, writing that the decision "opens a dangerous can of worms" that "threatens to impair states' ability to regulate the provision of medical care in any respect," per the AP. The New York Times notes the ban, which comes with fines of up to $5,000 for each violation and possible suspension or revocation of a counselor's license, has never been enforced in Colorado. The ruling is expected to ripple beyond the Centennial State, as upward of 20 states have similar laws.

The court agreed with therapist Kaley Chiles that the state was regulating what she says, not how she practices, rejecting Colorado's argument that the law targets professional conduct like other health-care rules, per NBC. The decision comes from a court with a 6-3 conservative majority that has frequently backed Christian conservatives in speech and religion cases. Major medical groups, including the American Medical Association and American Psychological Association, oppose conversion therapy, saying it's ineffective and can increase the risk of suicide among those subjected to it.