Ninth Circuit Blocks California Law Barring Schools From Notifying Parents of Student Gender Transitions

A three-judge federal appellate panel's injunction places California's parental notification statute in legal jeopardy, with the case now poised to test the boundaries of parental rights law in...

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on June 19, 2026, granted an injunction blocking enforcement of California Assembly Bill 1955, a state law that prohibited school employees from disclosing to parents when their child socially transitioned to a different gender identity at school, including the use of different names or pronouns. The plaintiffs in the case — the city of Huntington Beach and a coalition of California parents — argued that the statute violated their constitutional rights to parental oversight of their minor children. The Ninth Circuit's order halts AB 1955's enforcement while litigation proceeds, according to reporting by the Washington Examiner citing the court's ruling.

AB 1955 was signed into California law and took effect in 2024. The statute barred school officials from proactively informing parents of a student's gender transition, citing concerns that forced disclosure could expose students to unsupportive or unsafe home environments. Supporters of the law argued it protected student privacy and safety; opponents contended it unconstitutionally severed parents from decisions involving their minor children.

The Ninth Circuit's three-judge panel found that the plaintiffs presented a sufficient legal basis to justify halting the policy pending a full hearing on the merits. The court's order constitutes a preliminary injunction, not a final ruling on the constitutionality of AB 1955. The full text of the panel's order, including the specific legal standards applied — such as likelihood of success on the merits and balance of equities — would be contained in the official Ninth Circuit court filing, case number not confirmed in available source material at time of publication.

The dispute reflects a broader pattern of federal courts examining the scope of state authority over school information policies. Similar parental-notification ordinances have been adopted by localities in Florida, North Carolina, and several other states, and have faced varying outcomes in federal district courts. The Huntington Beach case is among the first to reach a federal appeals court on the merits of AB 1955 specifically.

What remains unknown includes the timeline for a full merits hearing before the Ninth Circuit, whether California's Attorney General will seek an en banc review or emergency stay of the injunction, and whether the case could ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court. The official Ninth Circuit docket for this matter would contain the panel's written opinion, the parties' briefs, and any forthcoming scheduling orders. The California Attorney General's office had not issued a public response at the time this story was published.