Iowa Safe Schools, et al v. Reynolds
Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Iowa, and the law firm Jenner & Block LLP filed a lawsuit in federal court to block provisions of SF 496, the sweeping Iowa law that seeks to silence LGBTQ+ students, erase any recognition of LGBTQ+ people from public schools, and bans books with sexual or LGBTQ+ content.
The law also requires teachers, counselors, school psychologists, and other staff to report students to their parents or guardians if a student asks to be referred to by names or pronouns that align with their gender identity. This reporting is required regardless of whether it violates a student’s expectation of confidentiality, professional ethical obligations, or whether the school official knows that the student would be rendered unsafe, kicked out of their home, or subject to abuse as a result.
The lawsuit is being brought on behalf of Iowa Safe Schools, a non-profit organization supporting LGBTQ and allied youth, and seven Iowa students and their families affected by the law. The students range from 4th to 12th graders and span the state.
- November 28, 2023 – Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Iowa, and the law firm Jenner & Block LLP file lawsuit
- December 29, 2023 – Federal district court temporarily blocks portions of the law while the lawsuit continues
- January 12, 2024 – State of Iowa appeals the temporary injunction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- August 9, 2024 – Eighth Circuit vacates the injunction and sends the case back to the district court for reconsideration in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s First Amendment decision in Moody v. NetChoice; law is allowed to go into effect while case is reconsidered
- October 18, 2024 – Lambda Legal and ACLU of Iowa file renewed request for a preliminary injunction addressing Moody v. NetChoice
- February 6, 2025 – Hearing on renewed motion for preliminary injunction held at Federal District Court in Des Moines
- May 15, 2025 – Court grants preliminary injunction, temporarily blocking portions of the don’t say LGBTQ and forced outing provisions; book ban provisions are blocked in their entirety
- June 13, 2025 – State of Iowa appeals the May 15 decision to the Eighth Circuit; portions of SF 496 remain blocked
- January 13, 2026 – U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit hears oral arguments on the State of Iowa’s appeal of the temporary block of portions of SF 496
- April 6, 2026 – U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the district court’s order, allowing the law to go into effect. Through the course of litigation, the law has been narrowed, and what takes effect today is a more limited version than what lawmakers initially passed.