Staff Reports
Good news for parents and bad news for the political class in Sacramento: a federal appeals panel has stepped in to protect parental rights against California’s secrecy rules. The Ninth Circuit stopped parts of AB 1955 from being used against the specific parent plaintiffs, saying mom and dad have a right to know what’s happening with their kids at school.
Ninth Circuit grants preliminary injunction against AB 1955 enforcement
In a sharp move, a three‑judge Ninth Circuit panel issued a preliminary injunction that blocks enforcement of key disclosure sections of AB 1955 as to the parent plaintiffs. The court said those parents are likely to win on their constitutional claims. In short: schools in the named cases cannot hide a child’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression from those parents under the law’s challenged rules.
Why Mirabelli v. Bonta tipped the scales
The panel relied on a recent Supreme Court action in Mirabelli v. Bonta to reach its decision. That high court move strengthened arguments about parental rights and religious liberty, and the Ninth Circuit said it changed the legal landscape enough to justify emergency relief. The ruling is narrow and temporary — a preliminary step, not a final decision — but it matters right now for families in the lawsuits.
What this means for parents, schools, and Governor Gavin Newsom
Practically, the order gives parents legal cover to demand information about their own children in the named cases. It also injects more chaos for school districts stuck between state law, federal rules, and court orders. And politically, it’s a reminder that Governor Gavin Newsom’s effort to shield bureaucrats from accountability faces real pushback in the courts — no matter how loud Sacramento’s woke crowd gets.
Next steps: more fights ahead
This injunction is not the end. The state can seek rehearing, an en banc review, or take the fight back to the Supreme Court. Expect more filings and more headlines. For now, parents who want a say in their kids’ upbringing have won a needed reprieve — and that is worth noting in a state that too often puts political fashion above families.
