Chicago Attorney at the Forefront of First Amendment Battle Affirms Victory for Christian Counselors and Pastors
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Mauck & Baker, LLC
April 1, 2026
CHICAGO, April 1, 2026 /Standard Newswire/ — In an 8-1 ruling issued yesterday, the United States Supreme Court struck down a Colorado law banning “conversion therapy,” affirming that restrictions on talk therapy regarding gender dysphoria or same-sex attraction violate the First Amendment. The decision in Chiles v. Salazar aligns with a previous legal victory for Illinois pastors. Now both pastors and licensed counselors are protected from the Illinois ban on conversion therapy.
John Mauck, a Chicago attorney who successfully secured a 2017 federal court ruling that the Illinois ban did not apply to pastors (Pastors Protecting Youth, et al. v. Madigan), issued a statement on today’s Supreme Court decision:
“Today’s High Court decision effectively rules that the Illinois law banning counseling for licensed counselors is invalid as a violation of free speech rights. The state has no business telling counselors, ‘You can help people go gay, but you can’t help them go straight.’”
The Colorado law had threatened the loss of licensure for counselors who assisted individuals seeking help in resisting same-sex attraction or identity. Writing for the Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch stated that the law “censors speech based on viewpoint,” noting that the First Amendment “stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.”
Justice Elena Kagan, in a concurring opinion, added: “Once again, because the State has suppressed one side of a debate, while aiding the other, the constitutional issue is straightforward.”
About Mauck & Baker, LLC
Established in Chicago in 2001, Mauck & Baker is nationally recognized for its practice in the area of religious liberty, representing individuals, religious institutions, and businesses. For more information, please visit mauckbaker.com.
SOURCE Mauck & Baker, LLC
Contact: Tom Ciesielka, 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.net