Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Supreme court

Justice Alito Calls Out Colorado’s ‘Blatant Viewpoint Discrimination’ on Therapy Law
The Federalist, Approved, National

Justice Alito Calls Out Colorado’s ‘Blatant Viewpoint Discrimination’ on Therapy Law

By Shawn Fleetwood | The Federalist Associate Justice Samuel Alito exposed the absurdity of a Colorado law prohibiting so-called “conversion therapy” for minors during a high-profile case before the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The moment came during oral arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, a case focused on a legal challenge brought by Colorado resident Kaley Chiles. A licensed therapist who provides counseling to children struggling with issues related to sexual orientation and gender dysphoria, Chiles alleges that the Centennial State’s “conversion therapy” law infringes upon her First Amendment right to free speech by inhibiting the types of discussions she has with her minor clients. When questioning Colorado Solicitor General Shannon Stevenson, Alito posed ...
Supreme Court to Weigh Colorado Ban on Therapy for Gender Identity Counseling
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Supreme Court to Weigh Colorado Ban on Therapy for Gender Identity Counseling

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on a case set to determine if Colorado's ban on so-called "conversion therapy" for minors violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment. The Lee family in Wellington filed an amicus brief in support of overturning Colorado's ban on the therapy. A Colorado law passed in 2019 restricts therapists from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of kids under the age of 18. They opposed the law after they say it limited access for their daughter to receive therapy that met their family's needs. "They are forbidden by law from going down that path of helping a child through their gender confusion versus further into that confusion and so there's been lots of paren...
Supreme Court case claims Colorado’s conversion therapy ban erases gay identity, silences counselors
Washington Examiner, Approved, National

Supreme Court case claims Colorado’s conversion therapy ban erases gay identity, silences counselors

By Mia Cathell | Washington Examiner A controversial Supreme Court case challenging a ban on so-called conversion therapy, as it pertains to treating transgender children, is attracting unlikely allies. At issue in Chiles v. Salazar, soon to be argued before the Supreme Court, is whether a Colorado law prohibiting “conversion therapy” for pediatric patients unconstitutionally restricts a counselor’s free speech rights, via viewpoint discrimination, when that therapist wants to counsel children experiencing gender dysphoria toward embracing their biological sex. A number of traditionally progressive third parties are siding with the plaintiff, Kaley Chiles, a licensed Christian counselor who nudges clients to “live consistently with God’s design.”...
Worried about what your child is reading at school? You’re not alone
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Worried about what your child is reading at school? You’re not alone

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Substack Worried about your school requiring books that might conflict with your values? I am signed on to the Independence Institute’s newsletter. One installment last week had the following blurb written by Pam Benigno of their education policy center, quoted here at length and with links left intact:“Last week, I spoke at a women’s club about how Colorado’s Social Studies Academic Standards have been hijacked by those trying to shape young children’s hearts and minds by exposing young children to literature intended to “disrupt” their understanding of gender identity. Bringing some good news, I explained how Mahmoud v. Taylor, a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, requires elementary schools to provide n...
Supreme Court Returns to Culture Wars on LGBT, Guns and Race
Reuters, Approved, National

Supreme Court Returns to Culture Wars on LGBT, Guns and Race

By Jan Wolfe | Reuters WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court is set to wade back into the nation's culture wars during its new nine-month term that begins on Monday with a series of contentious cases on issues including transgender athletes, gay conversion therapy, guns and race. The first of these goes before the court on the second day of its term. Arguments are slated for Tuesday over the legality of a Democratic-backed Colorado law banning "conversion therapy" aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Republican President Donald Trump's administration is supporting the Christian professional counselor who challenged the law. "Like last year, this term the Supreme Court again will face is...
Schools tell students not to cheat—yet cheat by rebranding DEI to keep race-based ideology alive
The Daily Signal, Approved, National

Schools tell students not to cheat—yet cheat by rebranding DEI to keep race-based ideology alive

By Jonathan Butcher, Mike Gonzalez | Commentary, The Daily Signal It’s back-to-school season, and some teachers have promised that the racist ideas from diversity, equity, and inclusion would not be in their classrooms this year. That’s the good news. The bad news is that many of these teachers and administrators are clearly telling whoppers. In fact, K-12 schools and colleges around the country are disguising their DEI offices and their racial preferences. Take Maryland, across the border from the nation’s capital and where many federal bureaucrats sleep and send their children to school. State education officials said schools would comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders calling on schools to reject DEI, citing the ways in which DEI...
Supreme Court Reasserts Control Over Rogue Lower Court Rulings on ICE
National, Approved, The Federalist

Supreme Court Reasserts Control Over Rogue Lower Court Rulings on ICE

By Shawn Fleetwood | The Federalist ‘Consistency and neutrality are hallmarks of good judging, and in my view, we abide by those enduring judicial values in this case by granting the stay.’ The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a win for the Trump administration in its bid to enforce immigration laws in California on Monday. The ruling is the latest in a string of SCOTUS orders revoking overreaching injunctions issued by rogue lower court judges. In its 6-3 decision, the high court placed a temporary stay on a lower court injunction that prohibited Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from carrying out deportation operations in Los Angeles, California. The injunction was issued in July by Biden-appointed District Judge Maame E. Frimpong, who argued that plaintiffs would likely ...
Trump Urges Supreme Court to Restore Presidential Tariff Powers
National, Approved, Fox News

Trump Urges Supreme Court to Restore Presidential Tariff Powers

By Christina Shaw | Fox News Treasury warns striking down tariffs could force refund of $159B already collected since August The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court Wednesday to quickly make a decision on whether President Donald Trump has the authority to impose his sweeping tariffs under federal emergency law. This appeal is a result of a federal appeals court ruling 7-4 that a vast majority of Trump’s tariffs were illegal according to the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act even though it allowed the duties to remain until the case was resolved. Many states and small businesses challenged Trump’s tariffs in a lawsuit saying they were causing serious economic harm. "These unlawful tariffs are inflicting serious harm on small businesses and jeopardizin...
‘Not a side budget anymore’: English learner costs surge in public schools
The Epoch Times, Approved, National

‘Not a side budget anymore’: English learner costs surge in public schools

By Aaron Gifford | The Epoch Times Federal and state laws mandate accommodations for all English language learners in public schools. Despite federal effectiveness at curbing illegal immigration, most states still allocate extra money for students learning English, regardless of whether they are here legally. All states apply a per-pupil funding formula for local districts. Above that base rate, 47 states and the District of Columbia provide additional money for English language learners. The expanded rates range from $904 to $16,161 per student if that pupil is also low-income, according to the Learning Policy Institute, which estimates there are more than 5 million English learners across K–12 public education. That includes nearly half the student population in the Dallas...
Biology vs identity: SCOTUS to rule on transgender athlete bans
Fox News, Approved, National

Biology vs identity: SCOTUS to rule on transgender athlete bans

By Paulina Dedaj , Bill Mears , Shannon Bream | Fox News Oral arguments centered on 2 cases in Idaho and West Virginia are expected to be heard in the fall The Supreme Court decided Thursday to review state bans on transgender athletes participating in public school sports. Oral arguments will likely be heard later this fall regarding two cases in Idaho and West Virginia. Both cases are focused on state laws that prevent biological males from competing on girls’ and women's sports teams. West Virginia, which enacted the "Save Women’s Sports Act" in 2021, is appealing a lower-court ruling that allowed transgender athlete Becky Pepper-Jackson to compete on the school’s cross-country and track teams. This past year, Pepper-Jackson qualified for the West Virginia gir...