Washington Asks High Court Not to Review Conversion Therapy Ban

A federal court decision upholding Washington’s ban on gay conversion therapy for minors would be a “terrible vehicle” for the US Supreme Court review, the state’s top lawyer told the justices.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit carefully applied the top court’s free speech precedents when it decided that the law validly regulates professional conduct with only an incidental impact on speech, Attorney General Robert Ferguson (D) said in a July 5 brief.

Ferguson was responding to a Washington-licensed therapist Brian Tingley’s request for Supreme Court review. The state law prohibits licensed health-care professionals from practicing conversion ...