The Excerpt Colorado conversion therapist is allowed to proceed, SCOTUS rules
Apr 1, 2026
Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY Supreme Court correspondent who explains major court decisions, breaks down the recent Supreme Court ruling on conversion therapy. She outlines the court’s free speech reasoning. She discusses implications for state bans, reactions from medical groups and LGBTQ+ families, and how the decision could shape future legal fights.
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Court Says Law Singled Out Viewpoint In Counseling
- The Supreme Court found Colorado's conversion therapy ban violated a counselor's free speech by targeting viewpoint-specific counseling.
- Maureen Groppe explains the law allowed some counseling directions but barred advising youths to remain in their birth sex, creating viewpoint discrimination.
Ruling Likely Shapes Other Conversion Therapy Challenges
- Lower courts handling similar challenges will likely follow this ruling when laws similarly restrict counselors' speech.
- Groppe notes the decision didn't declare all such bans invalid, only that application here raised First Amendment problems.
Dissent Emphasized State Power Over Medical Regulation
- Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented arguing states can regulate medical care without triggering First Amendment protections.
- Groppe summarizes Jackson's view that speech regulation here is indirect and part of healthcare regulation.