In the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors over their sexual orientation, MS NOW reporter Fallon Gallagher described the ruling as "a major blow to LGBTQ population across the nation."
MS NOW's Ana Cabrera Reports
March 31, 2026
11:16 a.m. Eastern
ANA CABRERA: We're continuing to follow breaking news out of the Supreme Court this morning -- an 8 to 1 decision and the court backing a challenge to Colorado's ban on LGBT conversion therapy, saying the law raises free speech concerns. MSNOW's Fallon Gallagher is back with us from outside the court. Fallon, an 8 to 1 decision. What did the justice(s) reveal about their thinking?
FALLON GALLAGHER: Yeah, this is one of those big cases that we have been waiting for a decision in. And the Supreme Court finding in an 8-1 decision that Colorado's law, which bans gender conversion talk therapy, violates the First Amendment on free speech grounds. Of course, siding with that conservative therapist who brought this challenge against the Colorado law. Like we said, this was an 8-1 decision with Gorsuch writing for the majority.
And I want to read you just a portion of what he said because there's some really strong language about the First Amendment. He writes, "The First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country. It reflects instead a judgment that every American possesses an inalienable right to think and speak freely, and a faith in the free marketplace of ideas and the best means for discovering truth."
Now, Justice Kagan and Justice Sotomayor signed on for a concurring opinion, agreeing with the majority, but having a little bit of a nuance in their thought. And Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, of course, the lone dissenter here saying that this is more states have the authority to regulate conduct. And I want to read to you something that she wrote. She says, "The court's opinion misreads our precedents, is unprincipled and unworkable, and will eventually prove untenable for those who rely upon the long recognized responsibility of states to regulate the medical profession for the protection of public health." Of course, making that conduct regulation argument there.
But Ana, this is a really big case. This has national implications. More than 20 states have laws just like Colorado's on the books. And so this is a major blow to LGBTQ population across the nation. Ana?
