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Alignment is each justice's general judicial philosophy as commonly described, not a party. Justices don't belong to parties, and they don't always vote with their bloc.
Alignment is each justice's general judicial philosophy as commonly described, not a party. Justices don't belong to parties, and they don't always vote with their bloc.
No. 25-840 · October Term 2026
Do parents have standing to challenge state laws that provide for alternative notification procedures when a runaway minor seeks gender-affirming care, rather than standard parental notification protocols?
Washington State historically required licensed youth shelters to notify parents within 72 hours whenever a runaway minor arrived at their facility, including the child’s exact location, physical and emotional condition, and the circumstances of arrival. Parents could then retrieve their child immediately. The only exception to that notification requirement arose when informing parents would expose the minor to abuse or neglect. In 2023, Washington enacted two laws—Senate Bill 5599 and House Bill 1406—that fundamentally changed this framework. The amendments added a second exception to the parental-notification requirement: whenever a runaway minor is “seeking or receiving protected health care services,” which the legislature defined to include “gender-affirming treatment.” Under the amended law, a shelter receiving such a child must notify the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) instead of the parents. DCYF must then make only a “good faith attempt” to contact parents—which, under implementing policy, means asking the child whether to provide parental contact information—and must offer to refer the minor for “appropriate behavioral health services” without…
From Oyez.