Kaley Chiles is a Christian counselor who wants to help people who voluntarily come to her with unwanted same-sex attractions or gender identity issues. Colorado does not allow this to occur and refers it to as "conversion therapy."
Cody Barnett of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the law firm representing Chiles, says they are "very excited the Supreme Court has taken up this critical issue about whether a state can censor what a counselor says."
"We are living in a time when parents and children across the country want and desperately need the kind of counseling that folks like Kaley Chiles want to provide," Barnett asserts. "Just because Colorado disagrees with that counseling, it has censored it."
By taking this case, Barnett thinks the Supreme Court, which has been clear that the First Amendment applies to professionals, has indicated it wants to "correct that error."
As more than 20 states and over 100 smaller jurisdictions have enacted similar laws, this case could free up counselors across the country, allowing them to freely speak to their clients and allowing clients to freely pursue their counseling goals.
So Barnett says it is "critical" for counselors, families, and professionals across the country.
"If Colorado can censor what a counselor says, then any state can censor anything a professional does by calling it conduct, which is what Colorado has done in this case," he explains. "So, this has implications that ripple far beyond Colorado and even the counseling room itself."
The case will not be argued until the next term, which does not begin until October. A decision would come by June 2026.
