SAN DIEGO, CA — Relying entirely on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta (2026), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit yesterday enjoined enforcement of key provisions of California’s AB 1955—the state law that prohibited school districts from adopting parental notification policies regarding a minor student’s “gender identity.”

In City of Huntington Beach v. Gavin Newsom, a three-judge panel held that AB 1955 forbids the very parental notification policies the Constitution requires under Mirabelli and granted a preliminary injunction on behalf of seven parent-plaintiffs. The panel had twice previously denied injunctive relief in the case, but reversed course in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mirabelli, the landmark parental rights case brought by Thomas More Society on behalf of California parents and teachers.

“Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit enjoined AB 1955, California’s ban on school districts passing policies to advise parents about their child’s gender presentation at school, holding that, ‘In light of Mirabelli, AB 1955... forbids the mandatory policies that the Constitution requires,’” reacted Paul M. Jonna, Special Counsel for Thomas More Society and Partner at LiMandri & Jonna LLP. “This decision is a direct result of the courage of our clients who challenged California’s gender secrecy regime back in 2023.”

“The Supreme Court’s historic decision in Mirabelli makes clear that parents cannot be kept in the dark about their own children’s ‘gender identity’ at school,” Jonna added. “Every state law that interferes with parental rights in this way violates Mirabelli—and we are very pleased that the Ninth Circuit got this right by declaring AB 1955 unconstitutional.”  

Thomas More Society represents the teachers and parents in the civil rights class action case Mirabelli v. Bonta, in which the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a Ninth Circuit stay and held that California’s school gender secrecy policies likely violate parents’ Free Exercise and Due Process rights. California is currently appealing the underlying district court judgment in the Ninth Circuit.

Read the decision in City of Huntington Beach v. Gavin Newsom, here.  For more information about Mirabelli v. Bonta, visit thomasmoresociety.org/mirabelli.