{"id":2587066,"date":"2026-04-04T06:31:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T10:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/even-the-liberal-justices-are-baffled-by-kentanji-brown-jacksons-dissent-in-textbook-free-speech-case\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T06:35:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T10:35:03","slug":"even-the-liberal-justices-are-baffled-by-kentanji-brown-jacksons-dissent-in-textbook-free-speech-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/even-the-liberal-justices-are-baffled-by-kentanji-brown-jacksons-dissent-in-textbook-free-speech-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Even the Liberal Justices Are Baffled by Kentanji Brown Jackson&#8217;s Dissent in &#8216;Textbook&#8217; Free Speech Case"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Feven-the-liberal-justices-are-baffled-by-kentanji-brown-jacksons-dissent-in-textbook-free-speech-case%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2587066&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that Colorado\u2019s ban on \u201cconversion therapy\u201d was viewpoint discrimination against Kasey Chiles,a Christian counselor,who was barred from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-skeptical-of-colorados-conversion-therapy-ban\/\" title=\"Supreme Court skeptical of Colorado&#039;s &#039;conversion therapy&#039; ...\">offering talk therapy<\/a> to minors seeking to align their gender identity with their bodies. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson published a lengthy solo dissent warning that the ruling could lead to catastrophic consequences and a decline in healthcare quality by ignoring advances in medical science and history. Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justice sonia sotomayor, wrote a concurring opinion defending First Amendment protections as applicable nonetheless of the state\u2019s view, arguing that the majority risks blurring the line between content-based and viewpoint-based speech. The piece also notes broader medical context, including shifts in guidance on gender dysphoria care, such as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons advising against sex-change surgeries for minors until at least age 19.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson couldn&rsquo;t get a single colleague to join her dissent warning of &ldquo;catastrophic&rdquo; fallout from upholding a Christian counselor&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/states-push-to-rein-in-big-tech-as-federal-gears-grind-slow\/\" title=\"States Push to Rein in Big Tech as Federal Gears Grind Slow\">free speech rights<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court found 8-1 Tuesday that Colorado&rsquo;s ban on &ldquo;conversion therapy&rdquo; was viewpoint discrimination against Kasey Chiles, who was barred under the law from offering talk therapy encouraging gender-confused kids to feel comfortable in their bodies.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ultimately, because the majority plays with fire in this case, I fear that the people of this country will get burned,&rdquo; Jackson wrote in her 34-page solo dissent.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is baffling that we could now be standing on the edge of a precipitous drop in the quality of healthcare services in America,&rdquo; Jackson wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But the Court sees fit to bring us one step closer to that fate today. Stranger still is the fact that this possibility looms in the 21st century&mdash;given what science now enables us to know about medical conditions and treatments, what our cases say, and what we all should have learned by now from history.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>While Jackson worried the decision would open the door to unraveling the entire medical system, Justice Elena Kagan called her out for &ldquo;reimagining&rdquo; settled First Amendment law.<\/p>\n<p>First Amendment protections apply no matter what view the state takes, Kagan noted in a concurring opinion joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Consider a hypothetical law that is the mirror image of Colorado&rsquo;s,&rdquo; she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Instead of barring talk therapy designed to change a minor&rsquo;s sexual orientation or gender identity, this law bars therapy affirming those things. As Ms. Chiles readily acknowledges, the First Amendment would apply in the identical way.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kagan, who called Chiles&rsquo; case a &ldquo;textbook&rdquo; example of viewpoint discrimination, pointed out the court&rsquo;s opinion does not address &ldquo;content-based but viewpoint-neutral laws.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;JUSTICE JACKSON&rsquo;s dissenting opinion claims that this is a small, or even nonexistent, category,&rdquo; Kagan wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But even her own opinion, when listing laws supposedly put at risk today, offers quite a few examples. Her view to the contrary rests on reimagining&mdash;and in that way collapsing&mdash;the well-settled distinction between viewpoint-based and other content-based speech restrictions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The decision could have &ldquo;potential long-term and disastrous implications,&rdquo; the Justice speculated.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[T]o be completely frank, no one knows what will happen now,&rdquo; she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This decision might make speech-only therapies and other <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >medical treatments involving practitioner speech effectively unregulatable&#038;mdash<\/a>;not to be reached via licensing standards, medical-malpractice liability, or any other means of state control. Who knows? Certainly not the majority.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Jackson based her argument on what she called a &ldquo;consensus&rdquo; from medical organizations concluding that &ldquo;conversion therapy&rdquo; is harmful.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ultimately, scientific evidence supports the conclusion that the anticipated harms from conversion therapy are twofold,&rdquo; Jackson claimed.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;First, conversion therapy stigmatizes the patient, telling them that their gender identity or sexual orientation is something to be fixed, rather than accepted. This rejection can lead to shame and guilt, which in turn can cause long-term emotional distress. Second, conversion therapy sets patients up to fail by giving them an unattainable goal.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Some major medical organizations have recently walked back guidance related to caring for minors with gender dysphoria.<\/p>\n<p>The American Society of Plastic Surgeons announced in February that it now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-says-it-opposes-sex-change-surgeries-for-minors-but-evidence-paints-a-different-picture\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Opposes ... for ..., Despite Contrary Evidence\">opposes sex-change surgeries<\/a> for minors, recommending delaying the procedures until at least 19 years of age.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the main points:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The Supreme Court, in an 8-1 decision, ruled that Colorado\u2019s ban on conversion therapy was a violation of the First Amendment because it discriminatorily targeted a particular viewpoint-Kasey Chiles, a Christian counselor who was prevented from offering talk therapy designed to help gender-nonconforming youths feel more comfortable in their bodies.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson filed a solo dissent, warning that upholding the law could bring about \u201ccatastrophic\u201d consequences and a decline in the quality of U.S. healthcare. She argued that the case rests on science and history about medical treatment and that the majority\u2019s approach risks harming patients by narrowing legitimate medical speech.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, wrote a concurrent opinion criticizing Jackson\u2019s view as a reimagining of settled First Amendment doctrine. She asserted that First Amendment protections apply regardless of the state\u2019s stance and suggested Jackson\u2019s dissent blurs the line between viewpoint-based and content-based restrictions, offering a hypothetical that would similarly restrict affirming gender identity.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Kagan warned the decision could have long-term, potentially disastrous implications, potentially making speech-based medical therapies effectively unregulable. Jackson grounded her argument in medical consensus that conversion therapy is harmful, noting harms such as stigmatization and impossible-to-reach goals; she also cited shifts in guidance from major medical groups on caring for minors with gender dysphoria.<\/p>\n<p>(Note: The content includes additional publication and legal-context details from the Daily Caller News Foundation.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2587067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7454.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[13729,33332,32311,33047,32275],"class_list":["post-2587066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dissent","tag-first-amendment","tag-free-speech","tag-ketanji-brown-jackson","tag-supreme-court"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7454.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2587066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2587066"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2587066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2587071,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2587066\/revisions\/2587071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2587067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2587066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2587066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2587066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}