US Supreme Court will hear challenge to WA runaway youth law

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it will consider the legality of a Washington law to protect runaway transgender youth that opponents contend tramples on parental rights.

Justices will review a lower court’s dismissal of a challenge to the 2023 statute, which allows operators of emergency shelters to notify state authorities, rather than parents, when children seek refuge as they pursue gender-affirming care and support services.

As part of the case, the court will also examine related state guidelines for reuniting runaway youth with their families, and a longstanding Washington law which allows children as young as 13 to receive outpatient treatment without a parent’s or guardian’s consent.

With acceptance of the case for its term beginning in October, the court will enter the fierce, nationwide debate on the boundaries between state power and parental rights.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/29/us-supreme-court-will-hear-challenge-to-wa-runaway-youth-law/

The peepee police are busy.