The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal in a case involving the Leon County School District that inspired Florida’s new laws regarding the teaching of gender and sexuality in the classroom.
In 2021, January Littlejohn sued the school district, alleging teachers and administrators violated her parental rights after speaking with her child about a “gender support plan” without her consent.
The case was a catalyst for Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education,” law, also known by critics as “Don’t Say Gay,” and quickly became state and national news.
Littlejohn appeared alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis when the measure was passed in 2022, and President Donald Trump called Littlejohn a “courageous advocate” at a joint address to Congress last year.
The high court’s decision was issued without explanation. It leaves in place a decision by a three-judge panel with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which sided with the school district and denied Littlejohn’s request for an en banc hearing in front of all 12 judges.
