In a recent list of written orders, the Supreme Court declined to add any new cases to its merits docket for the 2024-25 term. Among the over 60 cases the justices denied review for, was a challenge to guidelines adopted by a Maryland county to provide support for transgender students.
This case, named John and Jane Parents 1 v. Montgomery County, Md., saw three parents contesting procedures designed to create support plans for transgender students–plans that do not require the knowledge or consent of the students’ parents. These parents argued that such a policy inherently violates their basic rights to steer the care and upbringing of their children.
In this case, the originating lawsuit from the parents was dismissed by a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia. The justification for this decision was that the parents lacked a legal right to sue, also referred to as standing, as they had not claimed that they had been, or were likely to be, denied information about their children under the county’s guidelines.
The petition by the parents seeking for the Supreme Court justices to deliberate on their standing and the constitutionality of the guidelines was filed last fall. However, the justices, after delaying their considerations of the petition several times, ultimately denied the review without any further comment.
While the justices decided not to weigh in on the issues presented in this case, there remains a trio of petitions challenging the restrictions placed by Kentucky and Tennessee on gender-affirming care for minors. These challengers–representing the Biden administration as well as families in Tennessee and Kentucky–contend that the laws infringe on the Constitution’s equal protection clause. Decisions on whether or not to examine these petitions, among others, could occur as soon as their private conference on Thursday, May 23. Subsequent orders from this conference are expected on Tuesday, May 28, at 9:30 a.m.
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