AMAC Members Help Lead Double Victory for Parental Rights, Common Sense At Supreme Court

The Supreme Court delivered two major victories for parental rights and common sense this month following advocacy efforts from AMAC Action and AMAC members in the form of amicus briefs. In both cases, the Court reaffirmed that moms, dads, and their elected representatives – not unelected bureaucrats or radical activists – have the primary say over the health and moral upbringing of their children.

In United States v. Skrmetti, the Biden administration attempted to overturn Tennessee’s law banning puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and so-called “gender-affirming” surgeries for minors. On June 18, the Court upheld the law in a 6-3 decision, ruling that Tennessee acted well within its rights to protect vulnerable children from irreversible harm. This ruling also paved the way for similar bans in at least 20 other states to go into effect.

The majority opinion directly echoed AMAC’s amicus brief, emphasizing the state’s “legitimate, substantial, and compelling interest in protecting minors from physical and emotional harm.” The Court affirmed that children have a fundamental right to bodily integrity and that states have an obligation to take action to protect that right.

Importantly, the majority opinion also rejected efforts “by the United States and the private plaintiffs to accord outsized credit to claims about medical consensus and expertise.” In other words, the justices warned, lawmakers should not cede all legislative authority to “self-proclaimed experts.”

Just nine days later, on June 27, the Court ruled in favor of parents again in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case involving the Montgomery County, Maryland, school board’s refusal to allow parents to opt their children out of classroom lessons featuring LGBTQ+-themed storybooks.

The district had initially offered opt-outs for religious families but later revoked the policy, claiming it had become too burdensome. In a 6-3 decision, the Court held that the district’s actions imposed an unconstitutional burden on parents’ First Amendment rights to direct the religious upbringing of their children. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito made clear that the Board’s policy interfered with deeply held religious beliefs and ordered that parents be notified before such materials are presented – and be allowed to excuse their children from those lessons.

AMAC’s amicus brief again echoed the majority’s finding, arguing that public schools cannot force ideological conformity and override parents’ moral and religious convictions.

Both decisions mark a turning point in the broader cultural battle over the role of parents in American life. After years of schools and activist medical institutions attempting to shut parents out of life-altering decisions, the Supreme Court has made clear that such overreach is unconstitutional. These rulings represent a significant win not only for parental rights, but for basic decency and the recognition that childhood is not a laboratory for fringe social experiments.

“From Tennessee’s defense of vulnerable kids to Maryland parents’ fight for religious liberty, these rulings prove that when everyday Americans stand together, they can beat the radical agenda targeting our children,” said AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber. “AMAC Action will keep bringing the full weight of our membership to bear – whether in legislative chambers or before the Supreme Court – until parental rights and traditional American values are secure.”