Victory for Free Speech & Religious Liberty: U.S. Supreme Court Upholds the Right of Counselors to Speak from a Biblical Perspective

FRANKFORT, KY – This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Colorado’s attempt to criminalize Christian counseling. In an 8-1 decision in Chiles v. Salazar, the Supreme Court ruled that so-called “conversion therapy” bans violate the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution when applied to talk therapy.

Laws like Colorado’s create civil, professional, and sometimes even criminal penalties for counselors who seek to use the Biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality in their practices. At the same time, these laws specifically exempt pro-LGBTQ+ counseling. Thus, the state is choosing who gets to speak and who does not, creating a textbook example of unconstitutional viewpoint-discrimination. The Family Foundation helped lead the effort to overturn a similar unconstitutional action from Gov. Andy Beshear last year.

Statement from David Walls, Executive Director of The Family Foundation:

“This important ruling from the Supreme Court ensures that Christians may practice their faith openly in the counseling world without threat of punishment from the government. God calls on Christians to live out their faith in the public square, and people of faith have the First Amendment right to live up to that calling.

“This case is only the latest example of the LGBTQ lobby trying to force Christians to violate their deeply held religious beliefs through government censorship and coercion in order to push a harmful agenda on children and society. I hope that this latest court defeat will finally send a message that the Constitution does not allow such actions,” Walls concluded.

The Family Foundation supported efforts to overturn Governor Beshear’s illegal unilateral ban on Christian counseling in Kentucky, culminating with the passage of HB 495 in the 2025 General Assembly. Like Colorado’s law, the governor’s executive order allowed pro-LGBTQ+ counseling while attempting to restrict counseling from a Biblical perspective on marriage and sexuality.