On October 14, 2025, the Supreme Court announced the denial of several high-profile cases, including contentious issues involving children’s gender identity and internet platform liability.
One significant decision was the denial of Lee v. Poudre School District R-1, where a group of Colorado parents alleged that a school district violated their constitutional rights. The parents argued that the district’s policies excluded them from discussions regarding their children’s gender identity. They contended that such exclusion violated their parental rights by encouraging a barrier between parent and child. The lower courts sided with the school district, leaving the Supreme Court with no comment on the matter. However, Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, expressed concern that courts might be avoiding critical constitutional questions about parental rights in the context of school policies on gender identity.
Another case the court declined to hear was Doe v. Grindr, involving the implications of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The lawsuit accused the dating app Grindr of facilitating illegal activities involving minors. The plaintiff, an anonymous individual known as John Doe, alleged that Grindr enabled adults to exploit him when he was 15. Lower courts dismissed the case based on Section 230, emphasizing the law’s protection of platforms from liability for user-generated content.
The Supreme Court’s decision not to review Humphreys v. Emmons also drew attention. This death penalty case highlighted potential juror misconduct in the original trial proceedings. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, with Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented from the decision not to review, stressing the importance of revisiting the case to ensure judicial fairness and integrity.
In a related decision, the court rejected an appeal from California property owners in Thomas v. Humboldt County, California. The property owners challenged fines imposed without a jury trial, which they argued violated the Seventh Amendment. Justice Neil Gorsuch agreed with the decision but noted that the underlying case, Bombolis, warranted reevaluation.
The full list of denied cases was released following the justices’ private conference on October 10. Other decisions involved the calling of submissions from the U.S. solicitor general in cases with broad regulatory and administrative implications.
For a detailed account of the decisions and their potential impacts, visit the SCOTUSblog coverage on the matter.