On December 19, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California will hear oral arguments in Chino Valley Unified School District v. Newsom, a case challenging legislation that aims to ban parental notification policies across the state.
In today’s hearing, Liberty Justice Center Senior Counsel Emily Rae will argue against Governor Newsom, Attorney General Bonta, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Thurmond’s motion to dismiss the case.
WHO: Emily Rae, Senior Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center
WHEN: 1:30 p.m. PST, Thursday, December 19, 2024
WHERE: Courtroom 7
Robert T. Matsui U.S. Courthouse
501 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
HOW: The hearing is open to the press and public.
ISSUE BACKGROUND: On May 22, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond joined the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus to propose California Assembly Bill 1955 (AB 1955), legislation prohibiting parental notification policies across California.
AB 1955 aims to prohibit schools from adopting parental notification policies that require school administrators to inform parents if their children ask to be referred to by a name or pronouns that differ from their gender at birth or to access sex-segregated school programs or bathrooms for the opposite gender. The bill would also overturn existing parental notification policies and strengthen policies that require school employees to keep secrets from parents.
The Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit to challenge AB 1955 on July 16, immediately after Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on July 15.
The Liberty Justice Center’s lawsuit argues that AB 1955 violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and seeks injunctive and declaratory relief.
The Liberty Justice Center’s legal filings in Chino Valley Unified School District v. Newsom are available here.