Florida AG Leads 21 States Urging Supreme Court Review of Parental Rights in School Gender Identity Case

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, alongside Republican leaders from over 20 states, is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case involving January and Jeffrey Littlejohn, who allege that the Leon County School Board violated their parental rights by discussing and supporting their child's gender identity transition without their consent. The Littlejohns' child, initially identified as female, sought to use male pronouns and a different name at school during the 2020-2021 school year, but the parents were not informed due to school policies at the time. After losing in lower federal courts, the couple continues to fight the school district, arguing that such secrecy undermines parents' fundamental constitutional rights to direct their children's upbringing, a right recently reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. Supporting briefs have been filed by various conservative groups, including the Liberty Justice Center, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, and the California Justice Center, emphasizing that schools concealing gender identity discussions from parents "shocks the conscience" and violates longstanding legal precedent. The case highlights a broader parental rights movement, with Florida AG Uthmeier and others framing the issue as a nationwide fight over parental authority in educational settings. This legal battle encapsulates tensions between school policies on gender identity support and parental rights, potentially setting a significant Supreme Court precedent.