The United States Supreme Court has delivered a decisive victory for the First Amendment in Chiles v. Salazar, striking down Colorado’s attempt to censor speech between counselors and their clients.
In an overwhelming 8–1 ruling, the Court made clear that the government cannot regulate speech based on viewpoint, even in the counseling room. This decision affirms a foundational truth: the First Amendment protects the right to speak freely, especially when that speech reflects deeply held beliefs.
This case centered on a licensed counselor who offered faith-based counseling services rooted in Christian teachings. Colorado’s so-called “Censorship Law” violated the free speech and religious liberty rights of counselors and the clients they sought to help by banning conversations that supported a person’s desire to live according to their God-given biological sex and biblical convictions about sexuality. The law allowed and even encouraged counseling consistent with secular or progressive views on gender identity, but censored guidance rooted in religious convictions. This was a blatant double standard that struck at the core of free speech and religious freedom.
Last year, Advocates for Faith & Freedom stood in this fight. We filed an amicus brief urging the Court to protect the free speech and religious liberty rights at stake, making the case that counseling is speech and that the government cannot impose a one-sided orthodoxy.
This ruling is not just a legal victory. It is a clear line drawn in defense of truth, conscience, and the right of Americans to speak and live according to their faith without government interference.
Because of your support, we are able to stand in cases like this at the highest court in the nation. You make it possible for us to engage in precedent-setting battles that shape the future of religious liberty and free speech in America.
This is a victory for all of us. It is a victory for every believer who refuses to be silenced. It is a victory made possible by faithful partners like you.
Thank you for standing with us.
Robert Tyler President and Chief Counsel
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