EKNES-TUCKER v. GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA

No. 22-11707.

80 F.4th 1205 (2023)

Paul A. EKNES-TUCKER, Rev., Brianna Boe, individually and on behalf of her minor son, Michael Boe, James Zoe, individually and on behalf of his minor son, Zachary Zoe, Megan Poe, individually and on behalf of her minor daughter, Allison Poe, Kathy Noe, et al., individually and on behalf of her minor son, Christopher Noe, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. GOVERNOR, of the State OF ALABAMA, Attorney General, State of Alabama, District Attorney, for Montgomery County, District Attorney, for Cullman County, District Attorney, for Lee County, et al., Defendants-Appellants.

United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.

Filed: August 21, 2023.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Melody H. Eagan , Jeffrey P. Doss , Amie Adelia Vague , Lightfoot Franklin & White, LLC, Birmingham, AL, Kelly Perigoe , Joseph Saei , Michael B. Shortnacy , King & Spalding, LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Jennifer Levi , GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, Boston, MA, David Mattern , King & Spalding, LLP, Washington, DC, Scott Daniel McCoy , Southern Poverty Law Center, Miami, FL, Gilbert Olusegun Oladeinbo , Misty Peterson , James Andrew Pratt , Adam Reinke , King & Spalding, LLP, Atlanta, GA, Brent Ray , Abigail Hoverman Terry , King & Spalding, LLP, Chicago, IL, Diego Armando Soto , Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, AL, Christopher F. Stoll , National Center For Lesbian Rights, San Francisco, CA, Jessica Lynn Stone , Southern Poverty Law Center, Jackson, MS, Anne M. Voigts , King & Spalding LLP, Palo Alto, CA, Sarah Warbelow , Cynthia Cheng-Wun Weaver , Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Washington, DC, for Plaintiffs-Appellees Paul A. Eknes-Tucker, Brianna Boe, Kathy Noe, Jane Moe.

Melody H. Eagan , Jeffrey P. Doss , Amie Adelia Vague , Lightfoot Franklin & White, LLC, Birmingham, AL, Kelly Perigoe , Michael B. Shortnacy , King & Spalding, LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Jennifer Levi , GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, Boston, MA, David Mattern , King & Spalding, LLP, Washington, DC, Scott Daniel McCoy , Southern Poverty Law Center, Miami, FL, Gilbert Olusegun Oladeinbo , Misty Peterson , James Andrew Pratt , Adam Reinke , King & Spalding, LLP, Atlanta, GA, Brent Ray , Abigail Hoverman Terry , King & Spalding, LLP, Chicago, IL, Diego Armando Soto , Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, AL, Christopher F. Stoll , National Center For Lesbian Rights, San Francisco, CA, Jessica Lynn Stone , Southern Poverty Law Center, Jackson, MS, Anne M. Voigts , King & Spalding LLP, Palo Alto, CA, Sarah Warbelow , Cynthia Cheng-Wun Weaver , Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Washington, DC, for Plaintiffs-Appellees James Zoe, Megan Poe.

Melody H. Eagan , Jeffrey P. Doss , Amie Adelia Vague , Lightfoot Franklin & White, LLC, Birmingham, AL, Joseph Saei , Michael B. Shortnacy , King & Spalding, LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Jennifer Levi , GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, Boston, MA, David Mattern , King & Spalding, LLP, Washington, DC, Scott Daniel McCoy , Southern Poverty Law Center, Miami, FL, Gilbert Olusegun Oladeinbo , Misty Peterson , James Andrew Pratt , Adam Reinke, King & Spalding, LLP, Atlanta, GA, Brent Ray , Abigail Hoverman Terry , King & Spalding, LLP, Chicago, IL, Diego Armando Soto , Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, AL, Christopher F. Stoll , National Center For Lesbian Rights, San Francisco, CA, Jessica Lynn Stone , Southern Poverty Law Center, Jackson, MS, Sarah Warbelow , Cynthia Cheng-Wun Weaver , Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Washington, DC, for Plaintiff-Appellee Rachel Koe.

Edmund Gerard LaCour, Jr. , Alexander Barrett Bowdre , James W. Davis , Benjamin Seiss , Alabama Attorney General's Office, Montgomery, AL, Christopher Ernest Mills , Spero Law, LLC, Charleston, SC, for Defendants-Appellants.

Barbara Schwabauer , U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Appellate Section, Washington, DC, Elizabeth Hecker , Bonnie I. Robin-Vergeer , DOJ-Crt, Appellate Section, Washington, DC, Praveen S. Krishna , DOJ-USAO, Northern District of Alabama — Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, for United States of America.

Mary Elizabeth McAlister , Child & Parental Rights Campaign, Inc., Johns Creek, GA, for Amici Curiae Laura Becker, Billy Burleigh, Helena Kerschner, Laura Perry Smalts, Laura Reynolds, John Smith, C.G.

Jonathan F. Mitchell , Mitchell Law, PLLC, Austin, TX, Gene Hamilton , America First Legal Foundation, Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae America First Legal Foundation.

Rachel N. Morrison , Ethics & Public Policy Center, Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Eric Alan Isaacson , Law Office of Eric Alan Isaacson, La Jolla, CA, Susan Weaver , Law Office of Susan Weaver, La Jolla, CA, for Union for Reform Judaism, Women of Reform Judaism, Men of Reform Judaism, Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.

Susan Weaver , Law Office of Susan Weaver, La Jolla, CA, for Amici Curiae Central Conference of American Rabbis, Global Justice Institute, Rev. Richard Barham, Rev. L. Barnhart, Jr., Rev. Robin Blakemore, Rev. Julie Conrady.

Matthew James Clark , Alabama Center for Law and Liberty, Birmingham, AL, for Amicus Curiae Alabama Center for Law and Liberty.

Eric Alan Isaacson , Law Office of Eric Alan Isaacson, La Jolla, CA, for Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Dylan L. Jacobs , Attorney General's Office, Little Rock, AR, for Amici Curiae State of Arkansas, State of Alaska, State of Arizona, State of Georgia, State of Indiana, State of Louisiana, State of Mississippi, State of Missouri, State of Montana, State of Nebraska, State of Oklahoma, State of South Carolina, State of Texas, State of Utah, State of West Virginia.

D. Jean Veta , Covington & Burling, LLP, Washington, DC, for American Academy of Pediatrics, Alabama Chapter of the American, Academic Pediatric Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Nursing, American Association of Physicians for Human Rights, Advancing LGBTQ Equality, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians, American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, American Pediatric Society, American Psychiatric Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs, Endocrine Society, Pediatric Endocrine Society, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, Pediatric Endocrine Society, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, Society for Pediatric Research, Societies for Pediatric Urology.

Alison Lima Andersen , ArentFox Schiff, Washington, DC, for Amid Curiae HUSSEIN Abdul-Latif, Susan D. Boulware, Rebecca Kamody, Laura Kuper, Meredithe McNamara, Christy Olzeski, Nathalie Szilagyi, Anne Alscott.

Shireen Barday , Pallas Partners (US) LLP, New York, NY, for Amicus Curiae The Trevor Project.

Andrew Rhys Davies , Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr, LLP, New York, NY, for Amici Curiae Stonewall UK, The Swedish Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Rights, Seta ry/Seta rf/Seta LGHTIQ rights in Finland, The Australian Professional Association for Trans Health, The Professional Association for Transgender Health Autearoa New Zealand, LGBT + Denmark, Bundesverband TRANS E.V., The Federacion Estatal de Lesbianas, Gais, Trans, Bisexuales, Intersexuales y Mas, Fundacion Colectivo Hombres XX, AC, The Norwegian Organization for Sexual and Gender Diversity.

Kathleen Boergers , Office of The Attorney General, Oakland, CA, for Amici Curiae State of California, State of Colorado, State of Connecticut, State of Delaware, State of Hawaii, State of Illinois, State of Maine, State of Maryland, State of Massachusetts, State of Minnesota, State of Nevada, State of New Jersey, State of New Mexico, State of New York, State of North Carolina, State of Oregon, State of Pennsylvania, State of Rhode Island, State of Vermont, State of Washington, District of Columbia.

Carmine D. Boccuzzi, Jr. , Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, LLP, New York, NY, for Amici Curiae David Fuller, Cynthia G. Lamar-Hart, Laura J. Coe, Tom Loe, Sarah Loe, Brian Coe, Melissa Soe.

Eric Alan Isaacson , Law Office of Eric Alan Isaacson, La Jolla, CA, Susan Weaver , Law Office of Susan Weaver, La Jolla, CA, for Amicus Curiae Unitarian Universalist Association.

Before Lagoa, Brasher, Circuit Judges, and Boulee, District Judge.


This appeal centers around section 4(a)(1)-(3) of Alabama's Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act (the "Act"). Section 4(a)(1)-(3) of the Act states that "no person shall engage in or cause" the prescription or administration of puberty blocking medication or cross-sex hormone treatment to a minor "for the purpose...

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