Supreme Court to weigh challenge to California’s mandated implicit bias training for doctors
A group of California physicians has asked the Supreme Court to review a law that forces implicit bias training in continuing medical education, claiming it violates their free-speech rights.
California physicians Azadeh Khatibi and Marilyn Singleton have filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn a state requirement that doctors teaching continuing medical education include implicit bias content. The law, adopted in 2022, defines implicit bias as attitudes that affect perceptions of race, gender, and other characteristics and ties it to the 50-hour CME renewal cycle. The plaintiffs contend the mandate forces private speech, lacks robust scientific backing, and may erode patient confidence.
After district and Ninth Circuit courts upheld the rule as permissible government speech, the justices will consider the case on September 28. A ruling against the law could curb future state efforts to embed controversial social-policy topics into professional licensing requirements.
Why it matters
The decision could restrict states from imposing contentious training as a condition for professional licensure.
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