The Wisconsin Supreme Court cleared the way Tuesday for the state to permanently enact a ban on conversion therapy in a ruling that gives the governor more power over how state laws are enacted.
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The 4-3 ruling from the liberal-controlled court comes amid the national battle over LGBTQ+ rights. It is also part of a broader effort by the Democratic governor to rein in the power of the GOP-controlled Legislature.
In both 2019 and 2020, the Wisconsin professional licensing board for therapists, counselors and social workers proposed a rule that listed conversion therapy as “unprofessional conduct.”
But the Legislature’s powerful Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules — a Republican-controlled panel in charge of approving state agency regulations — blocked the proposed rule twice, most recently in 2023.
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The Supreme Court ruled that the legislative committee has been overreaching its authority in blocking a variety of state regulations during Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration.
The court’s ruling means the Legislature will not be able to block it again.
