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4h ago

Ninth Circuit Blocks California’s AB 1955 in Huntington Beach Challenge

The appeals panel relied on the Supreme Court’s Mirabelli decision, a move that could limit state rules that bar schools from notifying parents about students’ gender identity.

Gavin Newsom reacts with his mouth open while wearing sunglasses and a black collared shirt, with a hand raising on the left and a "GAVIN" sign with a blue bear above it in the background.
FILE - Students walk out of classes at McLean High School in McLean, Va., Sept. 27, 2022, to protest Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's proposed changes to the state's guidance on district policies for transgender students. Youngkin's administration said Tuesday, July 18, 2023, that it had finalized new model policies for the treatment of transgender students, guidance that will direct local districts to roll back some current accommodations and increase parental notification requirements about discussions involving gender identity. (AP Photo/Matthew Barakat, File)

Overview

  • A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of AB 1955 in City of Huntington Beach v. California after finding the city likely to win on the merits.
  • The court issued the order on Thursday and explicitly cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s March Mirabelli ruling as the basis for its view that the challengers have standing and a strong constitutional claim.
  • AB 1955, passed in July 2024 and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, forbids school districts from requiring staff to notify parents when a student asserts a change in gender identity or expression.
  • California officials defended the law as protecting student privacy and vowed to keep fighting in court, while Huntington Beach and allied legal groups hailed the ruling as a vindication of parental rights.
  • Legal experts say the decision could reshape school notification rules and spark further challenges to similar policies nationwide, with direct consequences for how schools balance student privacy and parent involvement.