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International Partners for Ethical Care, Inc., et al. v. Bob Ferguson, Governor of Washington, et al.
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 24-3661 · judgment July 25, 2025
Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.
Question presented
The "interest of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children □ is perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests recognized by this Court." Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57, 65 (2000). But that right is mere rhetoric if federal judges bar parents from court via a miserly interpretation of standing doctrine-a question, as three Justices recently recognized, that is of "great and growing national importance." Lee v. Poudre Sch. Dist. R-1, 607 U.S. --, 2025 WL 2906469, *1 (2025) (Alita, J., statement) (citation omitted). It is certainly important to Petitioners, who are parents of gender-confused children (including one child who previously ran away) and who do not wish to affirm that confusion. They challenged Washington laws designed to give runaway minors "gender affirming treatment" without parental notice or consent. But despite their being the challenged laws' target, and despite their alleging specific current harms and a substantial risk of specific future harms to their ability to parent, the Ninth Circuit held that Petitioners lacked Article III standing. The question presented is: Whether parents have standing to challenge a law or policy that deliberately displaces their decision-making role as to "gender transitions" of their children, and in so doing creates present and likely future impediments to their ability to parent their children as they deem best for them.
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Gene Clayton Schaerr
Schaerr | Jaffe
For respondent
Cristina Marie Hwang Sepe
Washington State Office of the Attorney General
Case
Conference history
Distributed for 3 conferences
Amicus briefs
20 cert-stage · 1 merits
(1 supporting pet./neither)
Proceedings
- Aug 27 2026Joint motion of the parties to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed.
- Aug 26 2026Brief amicus curiae of NC Values Institute filed.
- Jul 29 2026Motion to extend the time to file the briefs on the merits granted. The time to file the joint appendix and petitioners' brief on the merits is extended to and including September 8, 2026. The time to file respondents' brief on the merits is extended to and including October 21, 2026. The reply brief shall be filed on or before November 18, 2026.
- Jul 23 2026Motion for an extension of time filed.
- Jun 29 2026Petition GRANTED.
- Jun 22 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/25/2026.
- Jun 02 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/18/2026.
- Jun 02 2026Reply of petitioners International Partners for Ethical Care, Inc., et al. filed. (Distributed)
- May 14 2026Brief of respondents Bob Ferguson, et al. in opposition filed.
- Mar 30 2026Brief amicus curiae of S.P. filed.
- Mar 13 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including May 14, 2026.
- Mar 11 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from March 30, 2026 to May 14, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Feb 26 2026Response Requested. (Due March 30, 2026)
- Feb 25 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/20/2026.
- Feb 17 2026Waiver of right of respondent Bob Ferguson & Nick Brown to respond filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amicus curiae of Dr. Erica E. Anderson filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amicus curiae of Atlantic Legal Foundation filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amici curiae of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, et al. filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amici curiae of America’s Future, et al. filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amicus curiae of Foundation for Moral Law filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amicus curiae of Abigail Martinez filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amici curiae of Manhattan Institute, et al. filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amicus curiae of Defending Education filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amici curiae of Advancing American Freedom, et al. filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amici curiae of America's Frontline Doctors, et al. filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amici curiae of National Legal Foundation, et al. filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amicus curiae of Liberty Counsel filed.
- Feb 17 2026Brief amicus curiae of Sutherland Institute filed. (Distributed)
- Feb 17 2026Brief amici curiae of Florida, et al. filed.
- Feb 13 2026Brief amici curiae of Our Duty-USA, et al. filed.
- Feb 13 2026Brief amici curiae of Parental Rights Foundation, et al. filed.
- Feb 13 2026Brief amicus curiae of Erin Lee filed.
- Feb 13 2026Brief amici curiae of Jodie Holman, et al. filed.
- Feb 12 2026Brief amicus curiae of NC Values Institute filed.
- Jan 07 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due February 17, 2026)