Family Council Joins Amicus Brief Defending Parental Rights Before 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

Transgender, ,

Last week, Family Council joined an amicus brief defending parental rights in a federal lawsuit currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

The case is Mirabelli v. Bonta. Parents and teachers are challenging a school district policy that requires teachers to deceive parents about their child’s gender transition at school.

On September 2, Advancing American Freedom filed an amicus brief on behalf of Family Council and dozens of other pro-family organizations urging the 9th Circuit court to affirm parental rights and stop a California school district’s secret social gender transition policy.

The brief argues that “the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children is essential to liberty and is deeply rooted in American tradition and practice,” and that schools undermine parental rights when they deceive parents about a child’s gender dysphoria or social transition at school.

Unfortunately, the school policy in California is not an isolated incident. Pro-LGBT activists have used public schools to promote transgender ideology and gender confusion to kids in many different ways.

Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom have spoken out about how schools are hiding important information about students from their parents. But policymakers, legal experts, and parents are pushing back.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Education announced it was investigating four school districts in Kansas for secret gender transitions after a complaint alleged that school officials let male students into females’ private spaces and sports at school and hid students’ sexual identity confusion from their parents.

Family Council joined dozens of other pro-family organizations from across the country last year in an amicus brief regarding a New York school district that treated a middle-school girl as if she were a boy without her mother’s knowledge or consent.

Arkansas has enacted good laws to help prevent schools from socially transitioning children or promoting radical pro-LGBT ideology in the classroom. These are good laws that protect children and affirm parental rights.

But federal court cases like the one in California could affect schools nationwide. That’s why it’s important for us to stand up for students and parents in this case.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Arkansans On Track to Wager Almost $1 Billion on Sports This Year

Gambling, ,

An analysis from Family Council shows Arkansans could wager almost a billion dollars on sports betting this year.

The figure does not take into account “prediction market” wagers on sports or illegal sports betting.

Nationwide, sports betting is legal in 39 states — including Arkansas — but a growing body of evidence shows this type of gambling is causing serious financial harm.

Last week, Family Council reported that data from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration shows that from January 1 through July 31, sports bets totaled more than $529 million — an average of roughly $2.5 million per day.

At that rate, Arkansas is on track to wager as much as $912.5 million on sports by the end of December. Even if that daily average were cut in half this fall, Arkansas’ sports betting for the year would still top $700 million.

That estimate does not include “prediction markets” that exploit loopholes in federal law to bring casino-style gambling to anyone with a smartphone. We have written before about how the companies running “prediction markets” claim they just let people “invest” in the future outcome of a ballgame. But calling it an “investment” does not change what it is: It’s gambling.

Studies show people who gamble on sports may be twice as likely to suffer from gambling problems. When sports gambling happens online, the rate is even higher.

More than half of men ages 18-49 now have an active sportsbook account online, and the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) reports almost one in four young men say they gamble daily.

A study by Northwestern University found that for every dollar spent on sports betting, household investment falls by an average of $2.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, researchers at UCLA, and bankruptcy attorneys across the country all say sports betting is driving a wave of financial problems like credit card delinquencies and bankruptcies.

Sports betting is out of control. It’s corrupting sports, and it’s ruining lives.

Can Arkansas really afford to wager a billion dollars on sports every year?

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise, gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Temu Denies Allegations That It Engaged in Deceptive Trade

Technology,

Owners of the online retailer Temu recently denied allegations that the company violated Arkansas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Temu is an online shopping platform similar to Amazon or Walmart.com. In 2023, Temu was reported to be the most widely downloaded app in the U.S., and its multibillion-dollar marketing campaign — which included a Super Bowl ad in 2024 — contributed to its success.

But Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sued Temu in 2024, alleging Temu uses bargain pricing as a lure so the company can secretly harvest users’ private information.

The lawsuit alleges Temu’s phone app is able to access users’ precise locations as well as other installed apps, online accounts, microphones, and cameras. The platform can then funnel that sensitive information to computer servers that are subject to Chinese laws.

The A.G.’s lawsuit also alleges that the Temu app is able to bypass phone security systems, potentially granting Temu access to a user’s private messages.

The Arkansas Attorney General’s office says all of this is unconscionable under the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which carries a penalty of $10,000 per violation.

Temu’s attorneys previously asked the judge presiding over the case to dismiss the lawsuit, but the judge denied that request.

On August 28, Temu’s backers, Whaleco Inc. and PDD Holdings, filed responses in court denying Attorney General Griffin’s accusations.

Whaleco operates Temu and is a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of PDD Holdings.

The responses say that PDD Holdings is incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Its principal executive offices were previously located in Shanghai, China, but have been moved to Dublin, Ireland.

Whaleco says, “Temu has never shared any user data with the Chinese government,” and calls Arkansas’ lawsuit “baseless” and “unwarranted.”

Arkansas’ lawsuit against Temu is important because the arguments in the case are very similar to arguments in two separate lawsuits against TikTok — another popular internet platform owned by a Chinese company.

As we always say, tech companies are more than just phone apps and websites. These are multibillion-dollar businesses, and the people who operate them have a responsibility to protect the people who use their platforms.

We appreciate Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office for continuing to pursue these court cases.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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