Dear John,
Last week, True North Legal was present for oral arguments in a very important case at the Supreme Court of the United States with client Nate Oyloe. That case was Chiles v. Salazar. The case is about a Colorado counselor, Kaley Chiles, who challenged a Colorado law much like the one passed in Minnesota in 2023, that prohibits licensed Christian counselors from helping children overcome their struggles with gender dysphoria or same-sex attraction. Yet the law allows counselors to “support” children on a one-way path to sex-rejection surgeries, cross sex-hormones, and puberty blockers—dangerous interventions that have devastating, lifelong consequences and often bring lifelong regret.
True North Legal filed an amicus brief at the U.S. Supreme Court, on behalf of Erin Brewer, Nate Oyloe, and 55 other Christian counselors in Minnesota. An amicus brief is a legal brief that adds additional information for the Court to consider about the case, in addition to the main briefs filed by each party. Our brief was filed in support of Kayley Chiles. Click here to learn more.
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Here are three important takeaways from oral arguments in this significant case. |
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The central debate concerning these counseling restrictions is about whether they regulate speech or conduct. If counseling is merely conduct, the state has broad authority to regulate it. But if counseling is speech, then it is constitutionally protected under the First Amendment. Our brief argues that counseling is a matter of constitutionally protected free speech.
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The law is discriminatory towards people of faith. Justice Alito emphasized that the law appears to target a specific religious viewpoint – that of Christian counselors. When questioned by Justice Alito, Colorado’s Solicitor General was hard pressed to identify any evidence to the contrary and struggled to argue that the law isn't discriminatory.
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Medicine is being politicized—hurting those who most need access to care. The medical “standard of care,” which is the level of skill a licensed counseling professional is expected to provide in the field, has increasingly been co-opted and is often determined by a small group. This means voices like Dr. Ethan Haim and Jamie Reed (whistleblowers on gender activism), Genspect (a collective voice of professionals and parents who advocate for evidence-based medicine over medicalization of children), detransitoners, and even people like our clients who are representative of counseling success stories, are disregarded.
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Pictured: Renee Carlson, General Counsel, True North Legal with client Nate Oyloe at the U.S. Supreme Court last week for oral arguments |
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Renee Carlson, General Counsel True North Legal & Minnesota Family Council |
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