Free Republic

Held: Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy, as applied to Ms. Chiles’s talk therapy, regulates speech based on viewpoint, and the lower courts erred by failing to apply sufficiently rigorous First Amendment scrutiny.

WASHINGTON — In a blow to LGBTQ rights, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Colorado's ban on conversion therapy aimed at youths struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity violates the free speech rights of a conservative Christian therapist. The 8-1 decision in favor of therapist Kaley Chiles on her claim brought under the Constitution's First Amendment is likely to have national implications — more than 20 states have similar laws. It could also have an impact on other forms of medical treatment that involve speech. Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said that "the First Amendment...

ocky Mountain high, Colorado,” sang John Denver, AKA Henry Duetschendorf Jr. in 1972. Those were heady days for Colorado. Ski resorts, the Rockies, natural beauty aplenty and the promise of new beginnings enticed many, including me, to move to Colorado. My stay on the west slope was brief, and over the years, Colorado has descended from a more-or-less business-friendly and affordable state to a Democrat People’s Republic, increasingly crowded and hostile to civil liberties and prosperity. I occasionally travel to Colorado Springs for service on my recumbent trike and bike at the best recumbent shop in this part of the...

Republican Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado has responded furiously to reports that the Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war. Boebert told CNN's Manu Raju on Thursday that she would not support any supplemental funding for the war. "I will not vote for a war supplemental," she said. "No. I am a no. I've already told leadership. I am a no on any war supplementals. I am so tired of spending money elsewhere." She continued: "I am tired of the industrial-war complex getting all of our hard-earned tax dollars. I have folks in Colorado who...

@Acyn Boebert: I am so tired of spending money elsewhere. I am tired of the industrial war complex getting all of our hard earned tax dollars. I have folks in Colorado who can't afford to live. We need America first policies right now.

A program to provide health care for pregnant illegal immigrants in Colorado is costing the state over seven times its budget projections since it was enacted, the Colorado Sun reported. The Covering All Coloradans program, which was enacted in 2022, gave health care benefits to illegal immigrants who would otherwise have qualified for Medicaid, according to the Sun. The program was expected to cost the state $14.7 million dollars but its cost has instead ballooned to over $104 million. The program’s launch was secured in 2025 when money was appropriated by the state legislature. The state is now facing a...

At least 2,000 flights were canceled Sunday as winter blizzards continue to batter the Upper Midwest, turning at least one normally bustling airport into a virtual ghost town. According to the latest data from FlightAware, U.S. flight cancellations Sunday accounted for roughly 78% of all canceled flights worldwide, with at least 2,216 flights grounded out of roughly 2,842 global cancellations. Meanwhile, an additional 6,826 delays have reportedly rippled across the national air network, further straining travel schedules across the world. Many airlines have since issued guidelines allowing passengers to change their flights without major fees, providing flexibility for travelers affected...

The Denver International Airport (DEN) has taken to X to ask the public to fork over gift cards to TSA workers amidst the federal government shutdown, which has been tied to a fight over funding in the Department of Homeland Security. As the shutdown (which began on February 14) bleeds into another week, airport security staff are not getting paid — though according to Reuters, around 50 have continued to toil away anyway. The March 11 post reads, “! DONATIONS NEEDED ! Support the dedicated TSA employees working without pay by donating $10 and $20 grocery store and gas gift...

The Colorado legislature is moving quickly to pass bills that would prevent people from making their own firearms without government permission. Two bills appear likely to become law. The two bills are expected to be signed by Governor Jared Polis. House Bill 1144 has passed the House 40 – 25 on a party-line vote and was introduced in the Senate yesterday. Senate Bill 43 passed the Senate 19-16, with four Democratic senators joining 12 Republican senators to vote against it. House Bill 1144 prohibits the manufacture of firearms by “3D printing”, except for people licensed by the government:Knowingly manufacturing or...

Colorado’s Medicaid program made an estimated $77.8 million in improper payments and another $207.4 million in potentially improper payments for autism therapy, according to a February report from the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services.Auditors investigated $289.5 million in Medicaid payments from 2022 to 2023 that paid for more than 1 million claims for Applied Behavior Analysis—a therapy used to treat autism and developmental disabilities.Each of the 100 claims reviewed contained at least one improper or potentially improper payment, suggesting a 100 percent failure rate.Improper payments are not necessarily fraudulent. Payments are considered improper when the...

DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis appears to be signaling that he is open to granting some form of clemency to Tina Peters, as he extends the deadline for such applications.In an X post on Tuesday, Polis cited sentencing disparities between former State Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, who was sentenced to probation, and the former Mesa County election clerk Peters, who was sentenced to nine years in prison.Both former elected officials faced separate cases and were convicted of multiple felony counts, including attempt to influence a public official.Peters, who is pleading for clemency after a failed presidential pardon, was found guilty...

Stay up to date with live coverage of the Trump administration and national politics Thursday as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Oversight Committee as part of their investigation into late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The interview, which will not be open for the public, is happening at an office in Chappaqua, New York, the city where the Clintons have a house. Former President Bill Clinton will give his testimony Friday. Questions are slated to begin at 11 a.m. EST. SNIP The House Oversight Committee briefly paused a deposition of Hillary Clinton after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.)...

"Age Attestation on Computing Devices" (Colorado State Bill 26-051) would require age verification on all Operating Systems (both Open Source and proprietary), with fines for violations.

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a case over whether states can sue fossil fuel companies for damages related to climate change.The nation’s highest court agreed to hear arguments in Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County. Justices on the court asked both parties to submit briefs on whether it has constitutional authority to decide the case.The case, based out of Colorado, challenges the authority of state and local governments to use nuisance laws in proceedings against fossil fuel companies.“There is no constitutional bar to states addressing in-state harms caused by...

Last month, the Colorado Court of Appeals heard the appeal of 70-year-old former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters. Peters is serving over 9 years following her August 2024 conviction at La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo, Colorado. Peters was condemned to this medium-security prison, despite Peters’ being a non-violent, first-time offender. On Wednesday, Peters was denied bond by the very same court. In Colorado, a defendant has 49 days to seek review of a decision denying bond from a district court. Peters’ bond appeal came “more than fifteen months after the district court issued the order,” the ruling states. The...

Palantir announced Tuesday it has moved its headquarters from Denver to Miami – joining a slew of tech firms fleeing to South Florida as a growing number of industry leaders deem it the new Silicon Valley. Tech giants have been increasingly flocking to Florida from business hubs like New York and California in pursuit of lower taxes, warm weather and safer neighborhoods. “We have moved our headquarters to Miami, Florida,” Palantir wrote in a brief post on X Tuesday morning. The company did not immediately respond to inquiries about its reason for the move. Palantir was founded in Palo Alto,...

Colorado Democrats have officially introduced a bill to fully decriminalize prostitution. If passed, Senate Bill 26-097 would make Colorado the first state in the entire country to completely remove criminal penalties for buying and selling sex between consenting adults. If enacted, the legislation would repeal the state criminal offenses of: - Prostitution - Soliciting for prostitution - Patronizing a prostitute - Keeping a place of prostitution - Pandering related to arranging prostitution

A bill introduced into the Colorado State Senate last week would make Colorado the first state in the U.S. to fully decriminalize prostitution if it became law. Senate Bill 26-097 would require the entire state to decriminalize “commercial sexual activity among consenting adults,” both for people who buy sex and who would sell it. This would be unique in the U.S., as the only other states with any form of legal prostitution, Maine and Nevada, still have certain rules around it. In Nevada, for instance, prostitution is only legal within licensed houses of prostitution, or brothels, and some counties in...

Tampering with federal election results is against the law, and a new study by Unite4Freedom exposes an explosive problem—federal election records of the vote are changing after the election has been certified. Is this Malice, ignorance or pathetically pervasive Apathy (MIA) by our election officials?