The Supreme Court term is already underway – and over the next month, the Court will rule on cases deciding everything from our ability to register to vote without needless, harmful hurdles to the future of trans rights and our right to make our own medical decisions.
We’ve spent the past several months at the Supreme Court arguing for civil liberties in front of the justices – so as decisions start dropping, here are the cases we’re paying extra attention to:
- U.S. v. Skrmetti: We sued Tennessee after they passed a ban on health care for transgender youth and their families. We’re fighting to ensure that trans people are entitled to the same constitutional protections as everyone else – and that the government must stop getting between families and their doctors.
- Louisiana v. Callais: After we successfully defeated a Louisiana congressional map that deprived Black voters of meaningful political representation, the state enacted a new map with a second, additional majority-Black district. Now, a group of self-described “non-African American voters” is challenging the new map – so we’re calling on the Supreme Court to protect Black representation and ensure Black voters have an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.
- Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton: Texas, along with some other states, is requiring websites that publish sexual material deemed “harmful to minors” to verify their users’ age before accessing the site. This is a big threat to privacy – potentially requiring people to submit legal identification to these websites or even undergo a biometric scan – but also opens the door to mass censorship online. If the Supreme Court sides with Texas, it would fly in the face of precedent and make it harder to access constitutionally protected speech online.
- Mahmoud v. Taylor: Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland have come under fire from a small group of parents who want to opt their children out of LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum. But religious freedom doesn’t require public schools to exempt students from secular lessons that don’t align with their families’ views. We’re fighting to defend these schools, teachers, and their students against discrimination that would deprive students of a well-rounded education and stigmatize LGBTQ students and families.
hese are just a few of the landmark cases we’re keeping an eye on this year – and as decisions start coming down, we’ll keep you in the loop on the latest, including what these cases will mean for our rights, and how the fight continues.
Together,
The ACLU Team
ACLU of Washington
P.O. Box 2728
Seattle, WA 98111-2728