Federal court declines to reconsider decision backing Leon County schools over parents’ objections to student’s pronoun use.
In a case drawing national attention, a federal appeals court this week refused to revisit a decision that affirmed the Leon County school system’s handling of a student’s gender identity and preferred pronouns, despite parental opposition.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday denied a request from parents January and Jeffrey Littlejohn for the full court to rehear the dispute. This decision upholds a March ruling by a three-judge panel that favored the school system.
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The case, filed in 2021, stemmed from the Littlejohns‘ then 13-year-old child wanting to use a male name and “they/them” pronouns at Deerlake Middle School. School officials, following policy at the time, did not inform the parents of the student’s social transition, leading to the lawsuit.
Conservative groups and 19 state attorneys general had urged the appeals court to reconsider, arguing for parents’ fundamental rights in such decisions.
However, the court’s order indicated no judge requested a poll for an “en banc” hearing, letting the previous ruling stand.
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