The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether parents can sue over a Washington law that lets Olympia-area youth shelters withhold a runaway child's location from families when that child is seeking gender-affirming care.

Justices announced Monday, June 29, 2026, they will hear International Partners for Ethical Care, Inc. v. Ferguson (No. 25-840), a challenge to Senate Bill 5599, the 2023 statute that expanded the reasons a licensed shelter can notify the state Department of Children, Youth and Families instead of a parent within 72 hours of a child's arrival. The case is the first time the court has taken up parents' rights specifically tied to a child's gender identity transition.

In Thurston County, Community Youth Services operates the Safe Shelter program for youth ages 12–17 and Rosie's Place, an emergency overnight shelter for those 12–24. Both are licensed facilities subject to SB 5599's notification rules.

Before SB 5599, shelters could bypass parental notification only when there were signs of abuse or neglect. The bill, authored by then-Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, added a new exception: when a young person is pursuing gender-affirming care or reproductive health services. In those cases, the shelter contacts DCYF, and state social workers must make "good faith attempts" to reunite the child with their family.

The law does not change Washington's existing rule allowing anyone age 13 and older to receive outpatient mental health care without parental permission. It bars gender-affirming surgery for anyone under 18 without a parent's approval.

America First Legal, a conservative group founded by Stephen Miller, filed the lawsuit in August 2023 on behalf of parents and two nonprofits. U.S. District Judge Robert Bryan dismissed the case in 2024, ruling the plaintiffs could not show actual or imminent harm. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed that dismissal in July 2025.

The Supreme Court framed its review around a single question: whether parents have standing to challenge a law that "deliberately displaces their decision-making role" regarding their children's gender transitions.

Twenty amicus briefs supported the petition, including one from 14 states led by the Republican attorneys general of Idaho and Florida.

Gene Schaerr, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said his team looks forward to establishing that "parents have legal standing to challenge laws like Washington's."

Mike Faulk, spokesperson for Attorney General Nick Brown, said the state "previously won this challenge at the district and circuit court levels" and will be prepared to defend it again. Supporters of the law describe it as a modest step to address transgender youth homelessness.

The court will hear oral arguments during the term that begins in October 2026. A decision would follow by the end of the term in late June or July 2027. No specific argument date has been set. Residents can track the case on the Supreme Court's docket under No. 25-840.