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4h ago

Supreme Court Questions Colorado Ban on Change‑Oriented Therapy for Minors

The justices probed whether the law targets counseling based on viewpoint, signaling a possible remand for stricter First Amendment review.

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A man stands outside the US Supreme Court as the court hears oral arguments in Chiles v. Salazar on October 7, 2025.
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Demonstrators protest against conversion therapy outside the US Supreme Court as the Court hears oral arguements in Chiles v. Salazar, a landmark case on conversion therapy, on October 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court will hear a challenge today by a Christian therapist to a Colorado law that bans "conversion therapy" for minors who are questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation. The case was brought by Kaley Chiles, a licensed mental health counselor who argues that the prohibition from holding such conversations with minors is a violation of her First Amendment free speech rights. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • On October 7, the Court heard Chiles v. Salazar, a free‑speech challenge to Colorado’s 2019 statute treating change‑oriented counseling for minors as professional misconduct.
  • Several justices from across the ideological spectrum pressed whether the statute permits affirmation‑only counseling and thus discriminates by viewpoint.
  • Colorado’s solicitor general acknowledged the law would bar a counselor from helping a willing minor seek to align feelings with biological sex, a point the justices said supports standing.
  • The state defended the measure as a patient‑protection licensing rule grounded in positions from the AMA, AAP and APA that deem conversion therapy harmful.
  • Multiple justices floated sending the case back for heightened First Amendment scrutiny, with a ruling expected next year that could affect similar laws in more than 20 states and the District of Columbia.