Colorado Urging Supreme Court to Uphold State’s Ban on Conversion Therapy
- Katherine Carroll
- Aug 25
- 2 min read
The United States Supreme Court is set to hear oral argument for a Colorado case challenging the state’s ban on conversion therapy for children, Chiles v. Salazar. The case, arising from the 10th circuit, challenges Colorado’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law, C.R.S. § 12-245-224(1)(t)(V). The law prohibits mental health professionals from providing “conversion therapy” to minor clients. Conversion therapy, as defined by the law, refers to therapeutic attempts by a mental health professional to change a client’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The appellant, Kaley Chiles, is a licensed professional counselor in Colorado Springs, and brought the case under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, arguing that the law violates the free speech and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment.
Colorado is one of 25 states with laws banning conversion therapy on minors. Notably, Colorado has not taken disciplinary action against Chiles or any licensed mental health professional for engaging in conversion therapy since the law banning the practice was enacted in 2019.
The office of Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed an 83-page brief in the case arguing that conversion therapy “does not work and can lead to a lifetime of harms for young people.” Additionally, the brief contends that states have enjoyed the right to regulate professional healthcare treatment through its laws, and that the Supreme Court recognized in its progeny that the First Amendment allows states to prohibit treatment that violates the standard of care.
Oral argument is set for October 7, 2025. The full docket of the case can be accessed here.
Katherine Carroll is an associate attorney practicing family and probate law. She is currently serving on the CWBA Board as Co-Chair of the EmpowHERment and PublisHERs Committee. A New York native, she moved to Colorado after completing a clerkship in New Jersey Superior Court. Katherine received her J.D. from Touro University Law School in Central Islip, New York in 2022 and her Bachelors from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 2017. Prior to law school, she worked as a radio and television journalist in Albany, New York and New York City. Katherine is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, Colorado Women's Bar Association, the National Association of Women Lawyers, and the American Bar Association. In her spare time, Katherine enjoys reading historical fiction novels, watching RuPaul's Drag Race, and going on hikes with her boyfriend and their dog, Moose.