Florida Parents Seek U.S. Supreme Court Review of School Gender Pronoun Case

January and Jeffrey Littlejohn have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case involving their child, who sought to use male pronouns and a male name at school without parental consent. The lawsuit alleges that the Leon County school system violated the parents' constitutional rights by creating a secret "gender-support plan" and not informing them of the child's social transition, which included requiring staff to use they/them pronouns and updating school records. The case has been dismissed by lower courts, including the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a U.S. District Judge, but the parents argue that courts across the country have differing rulings on similar issues and that the Supreme Court must resolve this important constitutional controversy. The dispute has drawn national attention and is part of a broader movement championed by conservative figures, including President Donald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis, to assert parental rights and limit LGBTQ+ discussions in schools. The Littlejohns contend that the school’s actions excluded them from fundamental decisions about their child’s upbringing, raising significant questions about parental rights in education. The Supreme Court's decision to take up the case could have wide-reaching implications for parental rights and school policies nationwide.