Court rejects challenges to the ban on New Jersey's conversion therapy for children

In King v. Christie, (D NJ, November 08, 2013), a federal district court in New Jersey dismissed a challenge to the prohibition of the State in therapy to change sexual orientation for minors.  He said that through psychotherapy psychotherapy is not speech under the first amendment.  On the other hand it is behavior.  In so holding, the Court noted in part to the recent decision by the 9th Circuit defending a similar statute in California. The Court was to reject claims that the New Jersey statute is overly broad and vague.  Finally, the Court rejected the claim that the New Jersey statute violates the free exercise clause to prevent the mental health providers to exercise their religious beliefs sincerely that it is possible to change the attraction to the same sex or the behavior. The Court concluded that the Statute is a neutral law of general applicability. The Newark Star Ledger, reports on the decision.