On April 30, 2025, the Liberty Justice Center, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), and Dr. Erica Anderson, PhD, filed an amici brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit supporting two Florida parents who say their local public school kept them in the dark about important conversations with their child regarding gender identity.
The case centers on January and Jeffrey Littlejohn, parents in Leon County, Florida, who allege that school officials met privately with their child about using a new name and pronouns, and did not inform or involve them as parents. The family believes this violated their right to be involved in major decisions affecting their child’s well-being.
A three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit recently issued a decision siding with the school district, but the parents have now petitioned for the full twelve-member court to hear the case en banc. The amici brief filed by the Liberty Justice Center, WILL, and Dr. Anderson explains why parents should be kept informed and included when schools address sensitive issues with their children. The brief urges the full court to reconsider the decision and to recognize the vital role parents play in their children’s lives.
The amici brief highlights the conscience-shocking nature of school policies that exclude parents from key decisions about their children, particularly in sensitive matters involving gender identity, and calls on the Court to reaffirm constitutional protections for families.
“For too long school districts have been hiding important information about life-changing events from children’s own parents,” said Emily Rae, Senior Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center. “We stand with parents across the country who simply want courts to uphold their constitutionally protected right to parent—to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children.”
The Liberty Justice Center’s amicus brief in Littlejohn v. School Board of Leon County is available here.