Pickup v. Brown

• Citation: 728 F.3d 1042
• Decision Date: 29 August 2013
• Docket Number: No. 12–17681,13–15023.,12–17681
• Parties: David H. PICKUP; Christopher H. Rosick; Joseph Nicolosi; Robert Vazzo; National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, a Utah non-profit organization; American Association of Christian Counselors, a Virginia non-profit association; Jack Doe 1, Parent of John Doe 1; Jane Doe 1, Parent of John Doe 1; John Doe 1, a minor, guardian ad litem Jane Doe, guardian ad litem Jack Doe; Jack Doe 2, Parent of John Doe 2; Jane Doe 2, Parent of John Doe 2; John Doe 2, a minor, guardian ad litem Jack Doe, guardian ad litem Jane Doe, Plaintiffs–Appellants, v. Edmund G. BROWN, Jr., Governor of the State of California, in his official capacity; Anna M. Caballero, Secretary of the California State and Consumer Services Agency, in her official capacity; Sharon Levine, President of the Medical Board of California, in her official capacity; Kim Madsen, Executive Officer of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, in her official capacity; Michael Erickson, President of the California Board of Psychology, in his official capacity, Defendants–Appellees, and Equality California, Intervenor–Defendant–Appellee. Donald Welch; Anthony Duk; Aaron Bitzer, Plaintiffs–Appellees, v. Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Governor of the State of California, in his official capacity; Anna M. Caballero, Secretary of California State and Consumer Services Agency, in her official capacity; Denise Brown, Case Manager, Director of Consumer Affairs, in her official capacity; Christine Wietlisbach, Patricia Lockdawson, Samara Ashley, Harry Douglas, Julia Johnson, Sarita Kohli, Renee Lonner, Karen Pines, Christina Wong, in their official capacities as members of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences; Sharon Levine, Michael Bishop, Silvia Diego, Dev Gnanadev, Reginald Low, Denise Pines, Janet Salomonson, Gerrie Schipske, David Serrano Sewell, Barbara Yaroslavsky, in their official capacities as members of the Medical Board of California, Defendants–Appellants.
• Court: United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (9th Circuit)

728 F.3d 1042

David H. PICKUP; Christopher H. Rosick; Joseph Nicolosi; Robert Vazzo; National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, a Utah non-profit organization; American Association of Christian Counselors, a Virginia non-profit association; Jack Doe 1, Parent of John Doe 1; Jane Doe 1, Parent of John Doe 1; John Doe 1, a minor, guardian ad litem Jane Doe, guardian ad litem Jack Doe; Jack Doe 2, Parent of John Doe 2; Jane Doe 2, Parent of John Doe 2; John Doe 2, a minor, guardian ad litem Jack Doe, guardian ad litem Jane Doe, Plaintiffs–Appellants,

v.Edmund G. BROWN, Jr., Governor of the State of California, in his official capacity; Anna M. Caballero, Secretary of the California State and Consumer Services Agency, in her official capacity; Sharon Levine, President of the Medical Board of California, in her official capacity; Kim Madsen, Executive Officer of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, in her official capacity; Michael Erickson, President of the California Board of Psychology, in his official capacity, Defendants–Appellees,andEquality California, Intervenor–Defendant–Appellee.

Donald Welch; Anthony Duk; Aaron Bitzer, Plaintiffs–Appellees,

v.Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Governor of the State of California, in his official capacity; Anna M. Caballero, Secretary of California State and Consumer Services Agency, in her official capacity; Denise Brown, Case Manager, Director of Consumer Affairs, in her official capacity; Christine Wietlisbach, Patricia Lockdawson, Samara Ashley, Harry Douglas, Julia Johnson, Sarita Kohli, Renee Lonner, Karen Pines, Christina Wong, in their official capacities as members of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences; Sharon Levine, Michael Bishop, Silvia Diego, Dev Gnanadev, Reginald Low, Denise Pines, Janet Salomonson, Gerrie Schipske, David Serrano Sewell, Barbara Yaroslavsky, in their official capacities as members of the Medical Board of California, Defendants–Appellants.

No. 12–17681, 13–15023.

United States Court of Appeals,Ninth Circuit.

Argued and Submitted April 17, 2013.

Filed Aug. 29, 2013.

Negative Treatment Reconsidered

West's Ann.Cal.Bus. & Prof.Code §§ 865, 865.1, 865.2.

Mathew D. Staver (argued) and Anita L. Staver, Liberty Counsel, Maitland, FL; Mary E. McAlister, Stephen M. Crampton, and Daniel J. Schmid, Liberty Counsel, Lynchburg, VA, for Plaintiffs–Appellants David H. Pickup et al.

Alexandra Robert Gordon (argued), Deputy Attorney General, Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General of California, Douglas J. Woods, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Tamar Pachter, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, and Daniel J. Powell and Rei R. Onishi, Deputy Attorneys General, San Francisco, CA, for Defendants–Appellees Edmund G. Brown, Jr., et al.

Shannon P. Minter (argued), National Center for Lesbian Rights, San Francisco, CA; David C. Dinielli, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Intervenor/Defendant–Appellee.

Robert P. Taylor, Arnold & Porter LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Amici Curiae American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy–California Division, et al.; Elizabeth O. Gill, ACLU Foundation of Northern California, Inc., San Francisco, CA, for Amicus Curiae American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California; Eric Alan Isaacson, San Diego, CA, and Stacey M. Kaplan, San Francisco, CA, for Amici Curiae California Faith for Equality, et al.; Brad W. Seiling, Benjamin G. Shatz, and Justin Jones Rodriquez, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, Los Angeles, CA, and Hayley Gorenberg, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., New York, NY, and Shelbi D. Day, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, for Amici Curiae Children's Law Center of California, et al.; Jay Rapaport, Covington & Burling LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Amicus Curiae Dr. Jack Drescher, M.D.; Jon B. Eisenberg and Barry R. Levy, Encino, CA, for Amicus Curiae First Amendment Scholars; Eileen R. Ridley, Thomas F. Carlucci, Patrick T. Wong, and Kristy K. Marino, Foley & Lardner LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Amicus Curiae Health Law Scholars; Adam L. Gray and James Maxwell Cooper, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Amici Curiae Medical Professionals Tonya Chaffee, MD, MPH, et al.; Tara M. Steeley, Deputy City Attorney, and Dennis J. Herrera, City Attorney, and Therese Stewart, Mollie Lee, and Sara Eisenberg, Deputy City Attorneys, San Francisco, CA, for Amicus Curiae The City and County of San Francisco; and Sanford Jay Rosen, Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Amicus Curiae Survivors of Sexual Orientation Change Efforts.

Alexandra Robert Gordon (argued), Deputy Attorney General, Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General of California, Douglas J. Woods, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Tamar Pachter, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, and Daniel J. Powell and Rei R. Onishi, Deputy Attorneys General, and Craig J. Konnoth, Deputy Solicitor General, San Francisco, CA, for Defendants–Appellants Edmund G. Brown, Jr., et al.

Kevin T. Snider (argued), Matthew B. McReynolds, and Michael J. Peffer, Pacific Justice Institute, Sacramento, CA, for Plaintiffs–Appellees Donald Welch et al.

Elizabeth O. Gill, ACLU Foundation of Northern California, Inc., San Francisco, CA, for Amicus Curiae American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California; Peter D. Lepiscopo, William P. Morrow, James M. Griffiths, and Michael W. Healy, Lepiscopo & Associates Law Firm, San Diego, CA, for Amicus Curiae American College of Pediatricians; Eric Alan Isaacson, San Diego, CA, and Stacey M. Kaplan, San Francisco, CA, for Amici Curiae California Faith for Equality, et al.; Brad W. Seiling and Benjamin G. Shatz, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, Los Angeles, CA, and Hayley Gorenberg, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc, New York, NY, and Shelbi D. Day, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, for Amici Curiae Children's Law Center of California, et al.; Shannon P. Minter, National Center for Lesbian Rights, San Francisco, CA, and David C. Dinielli, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Amicus Curiae Equality California; Jon B. Eisenberg and Barry R. Levy, Encino, CA, for Amicus Curiae First Amendment Scholars; John A. Eidsmoe and Joshua M. Pendergrass, Foundation for Moral Law, Montgomery, Alabama, for Amicus Curiae Foundation for Moral Law; Eileen R. Ridley, Thomas F. Carlucci, Patrick T. Wong, and Kristy K. Marino, Foley & Lardner LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Amicus Curiae Health Law Scholars; Dean R. Broyles, The National Center for Law & Policy, Escondido, CA, for Amicus Curiae Parents and Friends of Ex–Gays & Gays; and Sanford Jay Rosen, Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Amicus Curiae Survivors of Sexual Orientation Change Efforts.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, Kimberly J. Mueller, District Judge, Presiding. D.C. No. 2:12–CV–02497–KJM–EFB.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, William B. Shubb, Senior District Judge, Presiding. D.C. No. 2:12–CV–02484–WBS–KJN.

Before: ALEX KOZINSKI, Chief Judge, and SUSAN P. GRABER, and MORGAN CHRISTEN, Circuit Judges.

OPINION

GRABER, Circuit Judge:

The California legislature enacted Senate Bill 1172 to ban state-licensed mental health providers from engaging in “sexual orientation change efforts” (“SOCE”) with patients under 18 years of age. Two groups of plaintiffs sought to enjoin enforcement of the law, arguing that SB 1172 violates the First Amendment and infringes on several other constitutional rights.

In Welch v. Brown, No. 13–15023, the district court ruled that Plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their First Amendment claim and that the balance of the other preliminary-injunction factors tipped in their favor; thus, the court granted a preliminary injunction. In Pickup v. Brown, No. 12–17681, the district court ruled that Plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed on the merits of any of their claims and denied preliminary relief. The losing parties timely appealed. We address both appeals in this opinion.

Although we generally review for abuse of discretion a district court's decision to grant or deny a preliminary injunction, we may undertake plenary review of the issues if a district court's ruling “ ‘rests solely on a premise as to the applicable rule of law, and the facts are established or of no controlling relevance.’ ” Gorbach v. Reno, 219 F.3d 1087, 1091 (9th Cir.2000) (en banc) (quoting Thornburgh v. Am. Coll. of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, 476 U.S. 747, 755–57, 106 S.Ct. 2169, 90 L.Ed.2d 779 (1986)). Because those conditions are met here, we undertake plenary review and hold that SB 1172, as a regulation of professional conduct, does not violate the free speech rights of SOCE practitioners or minor patients, is neither vague nor overbroad, and does not violate parents' fundamental rights. Accordingly, we reverse the order granting preliminary relief in Welch and affirm the denial of preliminary relief in Pickup.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A. Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (“SOCE”)

SOCE, sometimes called reparative or conversion therapy, began at a time when the medical and psychological community considered homosexuality an illness. SOCE encompasses a variety of methods, including both aversive and non-aversive treatments, that share the goal of changing an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. In the past, aversive treatments included inducing nausea, vomiting, or paralysis; providing electricshocks; or having an individual snap an elastic band around the wrist when aroused by same-sex erotic images or thoughts. Even more drastic methods, such as castration, have been used. Today, some non-aversive treatments use assertiveness and affection training with physical and social reinforcement to increase other-sex sexual behaviors. Other non-aversive treatments attempt ...