Court Freezes California Rules on Transgender Students

The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily halted California's limits on when schools can tell parents that a student has identified as transgender. In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, the court allowed a lower-court ruling favoring parents who say the state policy conflicts with their religious beliefs to take effect while litigation continues. The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals had previously paused that district court decision. The Supreme Court's unsigned order centers on the parents' claim that their rights under the First Amendment's free exercise clause are being violated, NBC News reports.

The majority said it's likely that the rules violate parents' ability to direct the education of their child, per USA Today. The court declined a similar request from teachers who object to being required to use students' preferred pronouns. In a dissent, Justice Elena Kagan criticized the majority for resolving a novel constitutional issue through the court's emergency, or "shadow docket," procedures without full briefing or oral argument. She said the process relies on limited information and results in brief rulings that effectively decide major disputes.