Yesterday, in a case called Chiles v. Salazar, all but one of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices joined an opinion striking down Colorado’s counseling-censorship law (a so-called “conversion therapy ban”) as its applies to talk therapy. The Colorado law, much like the nearly identical Minnesota law, prohibits any client under the age of 18 from having conversations with their counselor that could help them overcome gender confusion or same-sex attraction.

At the same time, the law allows counselors to embrace gender confusion, funneling kids down a one-way path of sex-rejection—a path that includes cross-sex hormones and life-altering procedures. This medical experimentation is often accompanied by significant consequences such as severe bone loss, removal of healthy body parts, sterility, and mental health crisis—consequences that detransitoners, doctors, lawyers, and recently jurors refer to as medical malpractice.  

The Star Tribune reported yesterday on the Chiles decision, referencing True North Legal's work. Read the article here.

(Pictured left to right): True North Legal client Nate Oyloe, Alliance Defending Freedom client and Colorado Counselor Kaley Chiles and husband, Renee Carlson, General Counsel, True North Legal

True North Legal represented Christian Counselors for Freedom Alliance, as well as Amici Nate Oyloe and Erin Brewer, in an amicus brief in the case supporting ADF client Kaley Chiles, the brave Christian counselor who successfully challenged Colorado’s unconstitutional law. In the amicus brief, Mr. Oyloe and Ms. Brewer bravely shared how they personally benefited from the opportunity to talk about their gender dysphoria with licensed counselors.

I had the honor of sitting in the Courtroom for oral arguments alongside our client Nate Oyloe and many other allies who have been advocating for counseling freedom since 2016. While Colorado unabashedly argued that the law simply regulates conduct, Justice Gorsuch, writing for the majority, sharply disagreed. As the opinion states, Colorado’s law unlawfully “. . . censors speech based on viewpoint. . . .Colorado may regard its policy as essential to public health and safety. Certainly, censorious governments throughout history have believed the same. But the First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.”

The Court is right. The First Amendment doesn’t end at the counseling room door.

As my colleague, Doug Wardlow, remarked, “The First Amendment does not permit the state to dictate what views counselors may discuss with their clients, let alone prohibit counseling that aligns with biblical principles.”

(Pictured left to right): Jim Campbell, Chief Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, Renee Carlson, General Counsel, True North Legal and client Nate Oyloe, Agape First Ministries

True North Legal Client, Nate Oyloe, Executive Director of Agape First Ministries, best summed up the importance of yesterday’s landmark decision:

“We believe this moment marks more than a legal victory—it is a spiritual one. Doors that were closing are now opening again. Hope is rising. And we remain committed, more than ever, to helping the broken return to joy through the love and leadership of Jesus.”

At True North Legal, we agree! That’s why we remain committed to fight boldly for truth—defending God’s design for family, faith, and freedom against every lie that threatens our children and our future.