BREAKING: SCOTUS Strikes Down Blue State Law With 8-1 Ruling

The Supreme Court handed a major win to religious liberty advocates Tuesday, striking down a Colorado ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for minors and putting similar laws across the country on shaky ground.

In an 8-1 decision, the justices sided with a Christian counselor who argued the state’s restriction on talk therapy runs afoul of the First Amendment. The court said the law raises serious free speech concerns and kicked the case back to a lower court to determine whether it can survive the kind of strict legal test few laws pass.

The ruling marks the latest example of the high court backing claims of religious discrimination while taking a harder look at laws tied to so-called LGBT rights.

Counselor Kaley Chiles, backed by President Donald Trump’s Republican administration, argued the Colorado law improperly blocks her from offering voluntary, faith-based counseling to minors.

Chiles said her approach is not comparable to older “conversion therapy” methods, such as shock therapy. Her attorneys told the court the ban leaves parents with limited options, making it difficult to find therapists willing to discuss gender identity unless they affirm a child’s transition.

United States Supreme Court

Colorado officials pushed back, arguing the law still allows broad discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation and includes exemptions for religious ministries. The state maintained that the measure only prohibits efforts to “convert” LGBT individuals to heterosexuality or traditional gender roles, a practice it dubiously claims has been discredited and linked to harm.

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State lawyers also argued the law does not violate the First Amendment because therapy is a form of regulated health care, not pure speech.

The 2019 law carries potential penalties, including fines and license suspension, though no therapist has been punished under it so far. The court’s decision is expected to ripple beyond Colorado, potentially undermining similar bans in roughly two dozen states.

Chiles was represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group that has notched multiple victories at the high court in recent years, including a case involving a Christian website designer who challenged Colorado’s anti-discrimination law over same-sex wedding services.

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