On March 9, 2026, Defending Education (DE), the Manhattan Institute, and Dr. Leor Sapir filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in Regino v. Blake, a case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. It is one of several constitutional challenges to school “gender secrecy” policies. California mom Aurora Regino sued in 2023 after learning her fifth-grade daughter was being socially transitioned at school without her knowledge. After the trial court dismissed her claim, Regino asked the appeals court to rule that the school violated her constitutional right to direct her child’s upbringing and education.
The brief argues:
- social transition is a mental-health intervention for children who would otherwise likely let go of their adopted gender identity before adulthood
- medical evidence from around the world shows that social transition has major medical effects on children
- transgender identity in both children and adults is often unstable
- some federal courts have already recognized social transition as a medical intervention
Cases like this are becoming more common and matter nationwide. DE is committed to ending these policies across the country and urges the Ninth Circuit to give Aurora Regino the relief she needs.
Read the full brief below:
