WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday barred California from enforcing state rules that restrict when schools can notify parents about students who come out as transgender and requires teachers to use children's preferred pronouns.

The court, on a 6-3 vote on ideological lines, allowed a federal judge’s ruling in favor of parents who oppose the policy on religious grounds to go into effect. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had put the judge’s decision on hold pending further litigation.

The court's ruling focused on the parents' claim that their rights under the free exercise clause of the Constitution's First Amendment were violated.

The court did not grant a similar request made by teachers who object to the policy.

"We conclude that the parents who seek religious exemptions are likely to succeed on the merits of their Free Exercise Clause claim," the court said in an unsigned opinion.

"The parents who assert a free exercise claim have sincere religious beliefs about sex and gender, and they feel a religious obligation to raise their children in accordance with those beliefs," the court added.

Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented. (NBC News contributed to this report)

Story Date: March 3, 2026