A three member panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard a case over a California law that bans therapy to change a minor’s sexual orientation, considering arguments that the ban was either a violation of free speech or necessary regulation of a medical treatment. (Los Angeles Times, April 17, 2013, by Maura Dolan)
The justices seemed likely to uphold the state law according to an article in The Recorder, April 17, 2013, by Scott Graham. Even a judge who seemed most favorably disposed toward the arguments of the lawyer arguing against the ban posed some tough questions for the lawyer. Chief Judge Alex Kozinski pointed out that an amicus brief filed by First Amendment scholars “argued that much professional communication falls outside of constitutional protection.”