Republican AGs ask federal appeals panel to overturn Michigan's conversion therapy ban
The Republican attorneys general for Iowa and South Carolina are leading a coalition of 11 states in seeking to overturn Michigan's ban on conversion therapy for minors.
Contending that the law censors therapists' speech, the coalition filed a brief Friday in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals requesting a reversal of a decision issued in January by U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering. Beckering, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, found the Michigan law does not govern free expression of religion or speech, but instead professional conduct, which she said the state has a 'legitimate interest' in regulating.
Passed in 2023 by Michigan's then Democratic-led Legislature, the law prohibits mental health professionals from seeking to alter a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity, a practice known as conversion therapy, or risk facing disciplinary action that could result in the loss of their professional licenses.
However, the group of Republican attorneys general says the ruling sets up a 'censorship regime' that forces mental health professionals to 'choose between making a living in a licensed profession and retaining their right to speak freely.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The case stems from a lawsuit filed in July 2024 by Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties on behalf of Emily McJones, a licensed therapist from Lansing, whose practice, Little Flower Counseling, provides 'evidenced-based treatments from a perspective that is faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church, while loving and caring for each client.'
However, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry has determined that not only do conversion therapies 'lack scientific credibility and clinical utility,' there is 'evidence that such interventions are harmful.' That stance is shared by the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as the American Psychological Association and the National Association of School Psychologists.
Regardless, the Republican attorneys general argue Michigan's ban risks tainting medicine with politics. In addition to the attorneys general in Iowa and South Carolina, the brief is signed on by AGs in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, and North Dakota.
'Free speech should protect the medical field from political pressure seeking to stifle scientific advancements. And it is far from clear that the ideological partisan bent embodied in Michigan's law is 'settled' in any meaningful sense,' the brief said.
A similar law in Colorado is set to be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court later this fall.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Vice President JD Vance is on the road again to sell the Republicans' big new tax law
In West Pittston, Pennsylvania, Vance told attendees at an industrial machine shop that they should be able to keep more of their pay in their pockets, highlighting the law's new tax deductions on overtime. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Vance also discussed a new children's savings program called Trump Accounts and how the new law promotes energy extraction, while decrying Democrats for opposing the bill that keeps the current tax rates, which would have otherwise expired later this year. Advertisement The legislation cleared the GOP-controlled Congress by the narrowest of margins, with Vance breaking a tie vote in the Senate for the package that also sets aside hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump's immigration agenda while slashing Medicaid and food stamps. The vice president is also stepping up his public relations blitz on the bill as the White House tries to deflect attention away from the growing controversy over Jeffrey Epstein. Advertisement The disgraced financier killed himself, authorities say, in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein's death before Trump returned to the White House and are now reckoning with the consequences of a Justice Department announcement earlier this month that Epstein did indeed die by suicide and that no further documents about the case would be released. Questions about the case continued to dog Trump in Scotland, where he on Sunday announced a framework trade deal with the European Union. Asked about the timing of the trade announcement and the Epstein case and whether it was correlated, Trump responded: 'You got to be kidding with that.' 'No, had nothing to do with it,' Trump told the reporter. 'Only you would think that.' The White House sees the new law as a clear political boon, sending Vance to promote it in swing congressional districts that will determine whether Republicans retain their House majority next year. The northeastern Pennsylvania stop is in the district represented by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a first-term lawmaker who knocked off a six-time Democratic incumbent last fall. On Monday, Vance will be in the district of Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes, who is a top target for the National Republican Congressional Committee this cycle. Polls before the bill's passage showed that it largely remained unpopular, although the public approves of some individual provisions such as increasing the child tax credit and allowing workers to deduct more of their tips on taxes.


Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Vice President JD Vance is on the road again to sell the Republicans' big new tax law
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Vice President JD Vance is hitting his home state on Monday to continue promoting the GOP's sweeping tax-and-border bill. He will be in Canton, Ohio, to talk about the bill's 'benefits for hardworking American families and businesses,' according to his office. Aides offered little detail in advance about the visit, but NBC News reported that his remarks will take place at a steel plant in Canton, located about 60 miles south of Cleveland. The visit marks Vance's second trip this month to sell the package, filled with a hodgepodge of conservative priorities that Republicans have dubbed the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' as the vice president becomes its chief promoter on the road. In West Pittston, Pennsylvania, Vance told attendees at an industrial machine shop that they should be able to keep more of their pay in their pockets, highlighting the law's new tax deductions on overtime. Vance also discussed a new children's savings program called Trump Accounts and how the new law promotes energy extraction, while decrying Democrats for opposing the bill that keeps the current tax rates, which would have otherwise expired later this year. The legislation cleared the GOP-controlled Congress by the narrowest of margins, with Vance breaking a tie vote in the Senate for the package that also sets aside hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump's immigration agenda while slashing Medicaid and food stamps. The vice president is also stepping up his public relations blitz on the bill as the White House tries to deflect attention away from the growing controversy over Jeffrey Epstein . The disgraced financier killed himself, authorities say, in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein's death before Trump returned to the White House and are now reckoning with the consequences of a Justice Department announcement earlier this month that Epstein did indeed die by suicide and that no further documents about the case would be released. Questions about the case continued to dog Trump in Scotland, where he on Sunday announced a framework trade deal with the European Union. Asked about the timing of the trade announcement and the Epstein case and whether it was correlated, Trump responded: 'You got to be kidding with that.' 'No, had nothing to do with it,' Trump told the reporter. 'Only you would think that.' The White House sees the new law as a clear political boon, sending Vance to promote it in swing congressional districts that will determine whether Republicans retain their House majority next year. The northeastern Pennsylvania stop is in the district represented by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a first-term lawmaker who knocked off a six-time Democratic incumbent last fall. On Monday, Vance will be in the district of Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes, who is a top target for the National Republican Congressional Committee this cycle. Polls before the bill's passage showed that it largely remained unpopular, although the public approves of some individual provisions such as increasing the child tax credit and allowing workers to deduct more of their tips on taxes. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .


Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Sudan paramilitaries announce a parallel government, deepening the country's crisis
CAIRO — A notorious paramilitary group and its allies in Sudan have formed a parallel government in areas under the group's control, which are mainly in the western region of Darfur where allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity are being investigated. The move, which was announced Saturday, is likely to deepen the crisis in Sudan, which plunged into chaos when tensions between the country's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, exploded into fighting in 2023 in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country. The RSF-led Tasis Alliance appointed Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the paramilitary group, as head of the sovereign council in the rival administration. The 15-member council serves as head of the state, it declared. The RSF grew out of the notorious janjaweed militias, mobilized two decades ago by then-President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir against populations that identify as Central or East African in Darfur. The janjaweed were accused of mass killings, rapes and other atrocities. In the current war, the RSF too has been accused of numerous atrocities. The Biden administration imposed sanctions on Dagalo, saying the RSF and its proxies were committing genocide, a charge the group has denied. Alliance spokesman Alaa al-Din Naqd announced the new administration in a video statement from the Darfur city of Nyala, which is controlled by the RSF and its allied janjaweed. Mohammed Hassan Taishi, a civilian politician who was a member of a military-civilian sovereign council that ruled Sudan after the 2019 overthrow of Bashir, was named prime minister in the RSF-controlled government. Rebel leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu, who commands the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, or SPLM-N, which is active in the southern Kodrofan region, was appointed as Dagalo's deputy in the council. The SPLM-N is a breakaway faction of the SPLM, the ruling party of neighboring South Sudan. The announcement came five months after the RSF and its allies signed a charter in February in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, with the aim of establishing a parallel government in RSF-controlled areas. At the time, many countries, including the United States, rejected the RSF efforts and condemned the signing at the Nairobi conference of what the paramilitary group and its allies called a 'transitional constitution.' The Foreign Ministry of Sudan's internationally recognized government in Khartoum condemned the announcement of a parallel government. It issued a statement calling it a 'fake government' and urged the international community to not engage with the RSF-led administration. The RSF-led move was likely to deepen the division in Sudan. Yasir Arman, a rebel leader, said the move is likely to prolong the conflict and divide Sudan between two rival administrations — similar to neighboring Libya. Magdy writes for the Associated Press.