A unanimous three-judge panel of the Philadelphia-based U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals decisively rejected a constitutional challenge to a New Jersey law that prohibits licensed therapists from performing “sexual orientation change efforts” (SOCE) — sometimes called “conversion therapy” — on persons under 18 years of age. The court rejected arguments that the law violates the freedom of speech and free exercise of religion of the therapist, in a September 11 opinion by Circuit Judge … <Read More>
sexual orientation change efforts
9th Circuit Refuses to Reconsider “Conversion Therapy” Case, Denying En Banc Review
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, based in San Francisco, has rejected a petition for it to reconsider a decision it issued in August 2013, which had rejected a constitutional challenge to a California law that prohibits licensed mental health professionals from engaging in “sexual orientation change efforts,” sometimes called “conversion therapy,” with patients under age 18.
The petition, filed by the losing parties, asked that the three-judge panel reconsider its ruling … <Read More>
N.J. Federal Court Rejects Constitutional Challenge to State Ban on “Gay Conversion Therapy” for Minors
U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson has granted the state of New Jersey’s motion for summary judgment, rejecting a constitutional challenge by practitioners of “sexual orientation change efforts” (SOCE) to a recently enacted state law that prohibits licensed counselors from providing such therapy to minors. (SOCE is popularly known as “gay conversion therapy.”) Following along the lines of a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, which … <Read More>
9th Circuit Rejects Constitutional Challenge to California Ban on Conversion Therapy for Minors
California Senate Bill 1172, which bans state-licensed mental health providers from conducting “sexual orientation change efforts” (SOCE), commonly known as “conversion therapy,” on patients who are under age 18, was scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2013, but two lawsuits challenging its constitutionality, mainly on First Amendment free speech grounds, were filed by practitioners and others, leading to conflicting rulings on motions for preliminary relief. On August 29, a 9th Circuit panel, ruling
… <Read More>