The U.S. Supreme Court has invalidated Colorado’s law prohibiting conversion therapy for minors, a decision that also invalidates similar legislation in at least 20 other states. In an 8-1 ruling in Chiles v. Salazar, the high court declared the state ban unconstitutional because it violated free speech protections under the First Amendment.
The case involved Kaley Chiles, a Christian therapist who challenged Colorado’s 2019 law. The legislation prohibits “any practice or treatment” designed to change a minor’s gender expressions or reduce sexual attraction toward individuals of the same sex, including fines up to $5,000 per violation and potential revocation of counseling licenses—though it explicitly exempts religious ministry practices.
Justice Neil Gorsuch authored the majority opinion, stating: “The First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.” He emphasized that Colorado’s law “censors speech based on viewpoint,” representing an “egregious” assault on constitutional freedoms. The ruling effectively reverses the state ban and compels legal challenges to analogous laws across multiple states.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson served as the lone dissenter in the case.
