The U.S. Supreme Court declined last Monday to hear an appeal from Florida parents who accused a public school district of violating their constitutional rights by socially transitioning their 13-year-old daughter without their consent.

In Littlejohn v. School Board of Leon County, docketed as No. 25-259, January and Jeffrey Littlejohn challenged actions taken at Deerlake Middle School in Tallahassee. Their daughter, identified in court papers as A.G., expressed gender confusion in 2020 and requested a name change to "J" along with they/them pronouns. School officials met with the girl privately, created a gender support plan, and began treating her as nonbinary at school by using the preferred name and pronouns. The parents were not informed and learned of the arrangement days later from their daughter.

The Littlejohns filed suit in federal court in the Northern District of Florida in October 2021, alleging a violation of their 14th Amendment substantive due process rights to direct their child's upbringing. U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker dismissed the case, finding the school's actions did not "shock the conscience." The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal in a 2-1 decision in March 2025. The majority opinion, written by Circuit Judge Robin S. Rosenbaum, held that the officials acted to help the child without intent to injure and did not force any transition or cause physical harm.

Circuit Judge Kevin Newsom concurred, calling the school's conduct "shameful" but not unconstitutional, while Senior Circuit Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat dissented, arguing the ruling undermined parents' fundamental rights protected by the Supreme Court.

The Leon County School Board's 2018 guidance for handling transgender or gender-nonconforming students advised seeking the child's consent before notifying parents, citing risks of outing such students. Following Florida's 2021 and 2022 parental rights laws, which require schools not to withhold information from parents except in cases of potential abuse or neglect, the district updated its policy. The case helped inspire the state's Parental Bill of Rights in Education.

The Supreme Court's denial on April 27, 2026, came without comment and marks the third time this term the justices have passed on similar parental rights challenges involving school gender-identity policies. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch have expressed interest in the issue in prior cases, noting its national importance.

January Littlejohn reacted to the decision, stating that school officials had colluded with her daughter to deceive the family. She noted Florida's legislative response has protected other families, though some parents remain hesitant to speak out due to strained relationships with their children.