作者： root

Here’s who is mostly likely to vote by mail

2026-09-04T08:00:29.383Z / CNN

By Amy O’Kruk, Rhyannon Bartlett-Imadegawa

Updated 17 min ago

Updated Sep 4, 2026, 7:42 AM ET

PUBLISHED Sep 4, 2026, 4:00 AM ET

节点运行失败

Amy O’Kruk, CNN

Mail-in voting in the 2026 midterm elections officially begins Friday in North Carolina, even as the rules governing those votes remain uncertain amid an ongoing legal fight.

A federal judge has, for now, temporarily blocked the US Postal Service from enforcing new mail-in voting requirements stemming from a sweeping executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March. The pause came days after the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could begin implementing parts of the order.

Beyond the legal uncertainty, the effort is facing internal concerns at USPS. A whistleblower report alleges that USPS officials have flagged significant IT concerns about a new system for verifying mail ballots.

Voting by mail has grown significantly and has become a popular and well-established part of US elections over the past two decades. States set their own rules for who can vote by mail, creating a patchwork of policies that has shifted considerably over the past two decades.

In 2000, 21 states allowed any voter to cast a ballot by mail. Today, 37 states and the District of Columbia do, while another 13 states offer mail voting with some restrictions, according to the Center for Election Innovation & Research.

Related article An election worker moves mail-in ballots to be organized for tabulation at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center in City of Industry, California, on June 2. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images Election officials say they can’t comply with Trump’s proposed mail ballot rules 8 min read

As access to mail voting has expanded, so has the annual number of ballots cast. Mail voting surged during the pandemic-era 2020 election, and millions of Americans have continued to cast their ballots by mail in federal elections.

Changing how mail ballots are handled could have implications for tens of millions of voters and for election officials preparing to administer voting.

Voters who said they used mail-in ballots in 2024 tended to be older and more likely to live in urban or suburban settings compared to the overall voting population, according to a 2024 post-election survey by Pew Research Center.

In some states like Mississippi, voters can qualify for a mail-in ballot based on being aged 65 or over.

Political preferences differ between people who vote by mail and people who vote in person, the same Pew survey suggests.

In 2024, 61% of voters who reported voting by mail-in ballot said they supported Kamala Harris for president, a higher share than those who voted in person, both early or on Election Day. The Harris support among mail-in voters was higher than her share of the popular vote.

Trump’s March order aiming to rein in mail-in voting follows years of him making unsubstantiated claims about illegal voting by mail. With such little time before the fall elections, the legal challenges could prevent some or all of Trump’s intended changes from taking effect this November.

“There’s no way to implement (the executive order),” David Becker, a former Justice Department lawyer who now leads the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research, told CNN. “This would be a sweeping seizure of election power from the states under any circumstances. It would be hard to do this with two or four years of advance notice. It is impossible to do that with about 70 days.”

Ted Cruz names ‘most powerful Democrat’ as he warns socialist rise has paralyzed bipartisanship

September 4, 2026 6:58am EDT / Fox News

The Texas senator warned that fear of DSA-backed candidates is paralyzing bipartisan work on permitting reform

By Leo Briceno Fox News

[‘Marxists’ killing the possibility of bipartisan cooperation before they even get to office, Sen Cruz says]

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, casts doubt on the possibility of permitting reform as moderates find themselves pinned by emerging left flank. (Credit: CSPAN)

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, believes that fear of a rising wave of progressives is paralyzing possible bipartisan work on permitting reform that would otherwise create fertile ground for collaboration.

“That dynamic is dangerous right now because they are terrified of the extreme left. Finding a middle ground on ideological issues right now is … the prospects for success, particularly between now and election day, are not high,” Cruz said at an energy summit hosted by Club for Growth and Arnold Ventures on Thursday.

“Schumer is truly terrified right now,” he added, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Cruz’s political assessment underscores what progressive momentum in the 2026 midterms means for more establishment figures in the Democratic Party — and especially the ones already in Congress — and the policy areas that legislators may still want to address before the November midterm elections.

CRUZ SAYS MAMDANI, AOC, PLATNER SHOW DEMOCRATS’ LEFTWARD SHIFT: ‘THAT’S WHERE THE ENERGY IS’

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, left, pictured alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

“They’re in the middle of a revolution,” Cruz said. “Their problem is that they’re very driven by their interest groups. They’re captured by their activists.”

His remarks came as he delivered an address at an energy affordability summit hosted by the Club for Growth, a free-market group that advocates for limited government. In particular, the event centered on permitting reform, an area where Democrats and Republicans have found some overlap.

Although differences remain about just how far to scale back regulations or how far to push legislative changes, lawmakers at the event stressed that bipartisan work on cutting back red tape could meaningfully expand American access to energy projects domestically.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, noted how regulatory bodies had prevented the expansion of nuclear energy — a source of power that is uniting Republicans and Democrats as a new frontier in a space apart from fossil fuels.

“We have built three new nuclear reactors in like the last 40 years. It went quickly from: we didn’t even know about the technology, to 20% of U.S. electric generation from nuclear reactors,” Wright said.

100 DAY SPRINT TO THE MIDTERMS KICKS OFF AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS CLASH FOR CONTROL ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright testifies during a budget hearing in front of the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on April 15, 2026.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We created the Nuclear Regulatory Commission… in the name of safety, no malintent. But since that creation, we’ve built almost no reactors in the United States since. If it’s so uncertain and so long to permit something, it’s just not worth investing in. That’s awful! Nuclear is just an awesome energy technology.”

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio., stressed that many of the discussions around reform have come down to a matter of practical details.

“There’s a lot of conversations going on not about who’s going to fight with whom or who is going to take credit for it, but rather what is the mechanics of getting it done,” Moreno said at the Club for Growth event.

“When it comes to permitting reform, if we can actually pull this off, Scott, what does it mean? It means lower energy prices for all Americans, us taking better care of our environment, being good stewards for the next generation. Those are worthy goals that should unite all of us, and I’m hopeful that we can get that done,” Moreno said, speaking to conservative political commentator Scott Jennings, a moderator at the event.

Despite a sense of optimism among several speakers — and even from Cruz himself — Cruz warned listeners that progressives already have a very real presence inside the Capitol that casts a shadow on permitting reform and other areas.

“It is not the case that every Senate Democrat is a Marxist or Islamist. What is the case is that every Senate Democrat is terrified of the Marxists and Islamists. Because that’s where the energy is in their party, that’s where the power is, that’s where the money is; it’s where the young people are. I think Mamdani is the single most powerful Democrat in the country,” Cruz said, referring to the socialist mayor of New York City.

Since Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist, came to power earlier this year, a series of progressive candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have won key primary races and even toppled veteran incumbents.

A few notable races include New York’s socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier and her victory over incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., the veteran chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Along those lines, Melat Kiros, another socialist in Colorado, unseated 30-year incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo.

SCHUMER DODGES QUESTION ON WHETHER DSA BELONGS IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a news conference, at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, 2026.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

With pressures like that, Cruz argued that it’s difficult to find legislators who are willing to separate themselves from progressives.

He believes there isn’t leadership to push back against that progressive momentum.

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“Look, Schumer is known for a lot of things but acts of principle and courage are not among them,” Cruz said.

Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.

特斯拉在得州奥斯汀启动Cybercab无人驾驶德士服务

2026年9月4日 16:37 / 联合早报

特斯拉的“赛博德士”采用了金色车身和蝶翼门的设计。 （法新社）

（奥斯汀综合电）电动汽车制造商特斯拉星期四（9月3日）宣布在美国得克萨斯州的奥斯汀限定地区推出无人驾驶德士服务，希望与优步（Uber）等公司展开竞争。

这款名为“赛博德士”（Cybercab）的金色无人驾驶汽车是在2024年10月首次亮相。根据特斯拉（Tesla）官网介绍，车内没有踏板，也没有方向盘，并利用摄像头视觉系统和传感器实现全自动驾驶。

赛博德士的车内没有踏板，也没有方向盘。（法新社）

它可搭载两名乘客，车内设有停止按钮，乘客按下按钮后，车辆将在安全的情况下尽快靠边停车。

不过，美国联邦汽车安全规定通常要求车辆配备人工操控装置，美国国家公路交通安全管理局因此正同特斯拉保持联系，并对目前的情况进行评估。

特斯拉则透露，“赛博德士”试乘服务将从星期五（4日）起向公众开放，但没有说明何时开始正式收费。特斯拉高管在发布活动上曾说会采用动态定价，即车费将随着需求上升而提高。

特斯拉在得州奥斯汀启动Cybercab无人驾驶德士服务

2026年9月4日 16:37 / 联合早报

特斯拉的“赛博德士”采用了金色车身和蝶翼门的设计。 （法新社）

（奥斯汀综合电）电动汽车制造商特斯拉星期四（9月3日）宣布在美国得克萨斯州的奥斯汀限定地区推出无人驾驶德士服务，希望与优步（Uber）等公司展开竞争。

这款名为“赛博德士”（Cybercab）的金色无人驾驶汽车是在2024年10月首次亮相。根据特斯拉（Tesla）官网介绍，车内没有踏板，也没有方向盘，并利用摄像头视觉系统和传感器实现全自动驾驶。

赛博德士的车内没有踏板，也没有方向盘。（法新社）

它可搭载两名乘客，车内设有停止按钮，乘客按下按钮后，车辆将在安全的情况下尽快靠边停车。

不过，美国联邦汽车安全规定通常要求车辆配备人工操控装置，美国国家公路交通安全管理局因此正同特斯拉保持联系，并对目前的情况进行评估。

特斯拉则透露，“赛博德士”试乘服务将从星期五（4日）起向公众开放，但没有说明何时开始正式收费。特斯拉高管在发布活动上曾说会采用动态定价，即车费将随着需求上升而提高。

尼泊尔泥石流经济损失逾32亿新元 保险索赔持续增加

2026年9月4日 17:00 / 联合早报

尼泊尔上周发生泥石流，导致当地多个水电站项目受影响，包括上特里苏里3A（图）水电站项目。 （路透社）

尼泊尔上周发生的严重洪灾，预计造成超过200亿尼泊尔卢比（约1亿6800万新元）的商业保险损失，其中水电项目预计占大部分索赔。

尼泊尔灾害管理部门负责人星期五（9月4日）告诉路透社，这场发生在尼泊尔与中国西藏接壤地区的泥石流，预计对尼泊尔造成约25亿6000万美元（约32亿4400万新元）的经济损失，并已造成逾1200人遇难，多人下落不明。

尼泊尔东方保险公司（Oriental Insurance Company Nepal）首席执行长查克拉博蒂说，受灾地区有11个尼泊尔水电项目，其中部分拥有商业保险，目前仍在评估损失。

他说，受影响河流沿线的水电项目遭受最大破坏，许多通往项目的道路及地面基础设施被冲毁。拉苏瓦加迪、上特里苏里3A、奇利梅（Chilime）和德维加特（Devighat）等水电站项目直接受影响，另有五个项目仍在评估。

尼泊尔保险管理局数据显示，截至8月31日，当局已接获583起洪灾相关索赔，涉及金额达258.7亿尼泊尔卢比（约2亿1700万新元）。

“只要还有一口气，就有希望” 尼泊尔两名被困隧道工人获救 村庄淹没在泥浆中 尼泊尔幸存者前路未卜

查克拉博蒂说，这主要反映受保险保障的风险敞口，并非最终理赔额，实际最终金额须待详细勘察完成后才能确定。

如果维修延误水电项目投入商业运营，索赔金额也可能进一步增加，因为部分保单涵盖商业运营推迟造成的收入损失。

尼泊尔泥石流经济损失逾32亿新元 保险索赔持续增加

2026年9月4日 17:00 / 联合早报

尼泊尔上周发生泥石流，导致当地多个水电站项目受影响，包括上特里苏里3A（图）水电站项目。 （路透社）

尼泊尔上周发生的严重洪灾，预计造成超过200亿尼泊尔卢比（约1亿6800万新元）的商业保险损失，其中水电项目预计占大部分索赔。

尼泊尔灾害管理部门负责人星期五（9月4日）告诉路透社，这场发生在尼泊尔与中国西藏接壤地区的泥石流，预计对尼泊尔造成约25亿6000万美元（约32亿4400万新元）的经济损失，并已造成逾1200人遇难，多人下落不明。

尼泊尔东方保险公司首席执行长查克拉博蒂说，受灾地区有11个尼泊尔水电项目，其中部分拥有商业保险，目前仍在评估损失。

他说，受影响河流沿线的水电项目遭受最大破坏，许多通往项目的道路及地面基础设施被冲毁。拉苏瓦加迪、上特里苏里3A、奇利梅（Chilime）和德维加特（Devighat）等水电站项目直接受影响，另有五个项目仍在评估。

尼泊尔保险管理局数据显示，截至8月31日，当局已接获583起洪灾相关索赔，涉及金额达258.7亿尼泊尔卢比（约2亿1700万新元）。

查克拉博蒂说，这主要反映受保险保障的风险敞口，并非最终理赔额，实际最终金额须待详细勘察完成后才能确定。

如果维修延误水电项目投入商业运营，索赔金额也可能进一步增加，因为部分保单涵盖商业运营推迟造成的收入损失。

Latino voter backlash puts Texas governor’s race on Democrats’ midterm map

2026-09-04T10:07:09.663Z / reuters.com

BEEVILLE, Texas, Sept 4 (Reuters) – The makeup and toys on Valencia Macias’ table are items people buy on impulse at discount stores. But on a sweltering summer day in South Texas, she is trying to sell them to turn them into gas money, grocery money, student loan money: any kind of money.

With ​three young children, a job as a medical assistant and nursing classes at night, the 26-year-old has little time for politics. But when Texas officials withdrew funding for the only after-school program available ​in her rural town of George West, politics became impossible to ignore.

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Then, a TikTok video appeared: A Mexican American woman on the screen, Gina Hinojosa, talked about the high cost of living and badly needed investments in Texas public education. Macias stopped scrolling.

“With everything just getting so expensive and the gas and everything, it’s really hard to just make do,” Macias said. Seeing a mother and a woman who looks like her, Macias made up her mind: “100%, she has my vote.”

Hinojosa, a Democratic state representative, is trying to end an electoral drought that has defined Texas ​politics for a generation: no Democrat has won statewide office in Texas since 1994.

Her strategy hinges on persuading Latino voters like Macias that rising costs and strained public schools matter more than the cultural and immigration issues ​that have pulled many Latino voters toward Republicans in recent years.

Hinojosa said that means resisting the tendency to treat Latino voters as a distinct political constituency with separate priorities. Instead, ⁠she argues they are motivated by the same concerns as other Texans, including housing costs, schools and day-to-day expenses. So, her campaign delivers that message in Spanish to Latino audiences.

“We are as Texan and American as anyone,” she said in ​an interview in Austin. “Latinos are feeling the economic strain just like families all across this country and in Texas in a big way.”

Her campaign tests whether Democrats can regain support among Latino voters by emphasizing pocketbook issues.

The test is whether it can ​overcome the political machine Republican Governor Greg Abbott has built over the last 12 years in office.

He has name recognition, President Donald Trump’s endorsement and a vast support network that stretches beyond Texas. He has raised roughly $25.5 million between February and July, while Hinojosa raised about $6 million. Abbott holds more than a 22-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage, with $67.2 million to Hinojosa’s $3 million, the latest campaign finance reports show.

Abbott spent years cultivating support in South Texas, regularly visiting heavily Latino border communities, building an extensive field operation in the Rio Grande Valley and making border security a ​centerpiece of his outreach.

Republican gains followed his sustained efforts to compete for Hispanic voters on issues including immigration, public safety and the economy.

Hinojosa’s betting that the sharp drop in support for Trump and the party he leads will lead her ​to victory. State polls have consistently shown she’s within striking distance of Abbott all year.

FORMIDABLE INCUMBENT

Abbott is still favored to win in the Republican-leaning state. Hinojosa would have to break the three-decade Republican streak in the office. To stay in power, Abbott has turned to ‌a Republican playbook ⁠portraying Hinojosa as out of step with his law-and-order agenda on the campaign trail.

“Governor Abbott is not taking the support of any voter — including Latino voters — for granted, which is why he is investing significant time and resources to earn votes in every community,” Abbott’s campaign press secretary Eduardo Leal said in a statement to Reuters.

Recent polling suggests Latino voters favor Hinojosa over Abbott. An August 2026 Emerson College Polling/Nexstar survey found Hispanic voters favored Hinojosa over Abbott by 17 percentage points and that 57% disapproved of Abbott’s job performance. That same statewide poll, which surveyed 1,000 likely voters, showed Abbott leading Hinojosa 49% to 45% overall, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Abbott recently released an “affordability agenda” — including property tax cuts, housing ​reforms, lower electricity costs, expanded low-cost health insurance, a $25-a-month cap ​on certain prescription drugs, and more. His campaign says ⁠the measures will help Texans offset rising living expenses.

“Latino voters care about the same issues that are important to all Texans: overhauling the property tax system, securing the border, putting dangerous criminals behind bars, and keeping Texas affordable,” Leal said.

Samuel Aguero, 28, a Navy veteran, voted for Trump in 2024. But as a single father of two daughters, his top issue is ​education — he says Beeville’s public schools need more state resources, and if Hinojosa offers specifics on improving them, he may back her instead.

“We have to have higher standards in ​school,” he said. “Teachers should be paid ⁠a lot more, like, a heck of a lot more.”

NUMBERS

Hinojosa may benefit from electoral tailwinds that eluded Beto O’Rourke and other statewide Democratic candidates before her.

Demographic trends have strengthened Democrats’ long-held belief that Texas’ growing Latino electorate could eventually reshape statewide politics. Texas now has about 6.5 million Latino eligible voters, roughly 1 million more than in the years leading up to Abbott’s last reelection campaign.

But the key to Hinojosa’s campaign is how many people actually turn out to vote. Nearly 4.5 million Texans voted in the ⁠Democratic and Republican primary ​elections in March, a recent midterm record.

Record participation, fueled by the high-profile Senate primary battles involving Attorney General Ken Paxton and State Representative James ​Talarico, could offer Democrats a rare sign of momentum in a state where voter turnout has historically trailed the national average.

Still, voters like Dawn Barraza, 54, an eighth-grade schoolteacher in Victoria, Texas, want “change.” At a monthly outdoor market in Beeville, Barraza said her family fares okay financially, but there’s palpable ​frustration among Latinos in South Texas that Republicans are not addressing.

“They need to be standing up for our people here; it’s high time everybody realizes that we’re not going anywhere,” she said.

Reporting by David Hood-Nuño; Editing by Kat Stafford and Alistair Bell

联合国：当前厄尔尼诺现象或为1000年以来最强

2026年9月4日 17:27 / 联合早报

受厄尔尼诺现象影响，哥伦比亚目前正遭受严重干旱，图为9月3日，麦德林市一处湖面因干涸而龟裂。 （路透社）

（纽约综合电）联合国说，当前的厄尔尼诺现象很可能是至少1000年来最强的一次，它将为本就因全球变暖而迅速升温的大气层注入额外热量。这两者叠加意味着，2027年势必彻底打破纪录，成为有记录以来最热的一年。

任何超过0.5摄氏度的温度异常都被归类为厄尔尼诺现象，而根据14个不同气候模型的平均预测，厄尔尼诺峰值预计将在11月达到约4摄氏度。

对珊瑚、树轮和历史文献的分析数据显示，过去1000年间没有一次厄尔尼诺达到过这一水平。令人进一步担忧的是，近期研究显示，全球变暖正加剧厄尔尼诺周期，进而加剧气候危机带来的影响。

联合国秘书长古特雷斯说：“厄尔尼诺正以惊人的规模在我们眼前增强……眼下，我们正与日益加剧的风险赛跑，同时也要履行承诺，采取气候行动并保护民众。我们必须赢得这场竞赛。”

世界气象组织秘书长绍洛警告，厄尔尼诺现象有可能给世界各地的社区和经济体带来沉重打击。“我们已经目睹了干旱和洪水造成的破坏与灾难，并预计随着厄尔尼诺的增强，这些影响将会加剧。”

延伸阅读

世界气象组织：超强厄尔尼诺导致极端天气风险上升 白化频率过高 珊瑚礁难恢复

英国能源与气候情报部门的贾卡里尼指出，全球范围内的极端天气推高食品价格，最贫困群体受到的冲击最为严重。这不仅影响进口食品，也波及本土种植的农作物。

他强调，除非迅速减排并增强抵御能力，否则气候变化的影响将持续恶化，而厄尔尼诺现象会每隔几年就进一步加剧这一趋势。

联合国：当前厄尔尼诺现象或为1000年以来最强

2026年9月4日 17:27 / 联合早报

受厄尔尼诺现象影响，哥伦比亚目前正遭受严重干旱，图为9月3日，麦德林市一处湖面因干涸而龟裂。 （路透社）

（纽约综合电）联合国说，当前的厄尔尼诺现象很可能是至少1000年来最强的一次，它将为本就因全球变暖而迅速升温的大气层注入额外热量。这两者叠加意味着，2027年势必彻底打破纪录，成为有记录以来最热的一年。

任何超过0.5摄氏度的温度异常都被归类为厄尔尼诺现象，而根据14个不同气候模型的平均预测，厄尔尼诺峰值预计将在11月达到约4摄氏度。

对珊瑚、树轮和历史文献的分析数据显示，过去1000年间没有一次厄尔尼诺达到过这一水平。令人进一步担忧的是，近期研究显示，全球变暖正加剧厄尔尼诺周期，进而加剧气候危机带来的影响。

联合国秘书长古特雷斯说：“厄尔尼诺正以惊人的规模在我们眼前增强……眼下，我们正与日益加剧的风险赛跑，同时也要履行承诺，采取气候行动并保护民众。我们必须赢得这场竞赛。”

世界气象组织秘书长绍洛警告，厄尔尼诺现象有可能给世界各地的社区和经济体带来沉重打击。“我们已经目睹了干旱和洪水造成的破坏与灾难，并预计随着厄尔尼诺的增强，这些影响将会加剧。”

延伸阅读

世界气象组织：超强厄尔尼诺导致极端天气风险上升

白化频率过高 珊瑚礁难恢复

英国能源与气候情报部门的贾卡里尼指出，全球范围内的极端天气推高食品价格，最贫困群体受到的冲击最为严重。这不仅影响进口食品，也波及本土种植的农作物。

他强调，除非迅速减排并增强抵御能力，否则气候变化的影响将持续恶化，而厄尔尼诺现象会每隔几年就进一步加剧这一趋势。

Blue state school district accused of defying Supreme Court, hiding gender transitions from parents

Under the Chathams policy, a guidance counselor decides whether parents are told about a child’s gender transition

2026-09-04T05:00:53-04:00 / Fox News

By Elaine Mallon, Fox News

Published September 4, 2026 5:00am EDT

‘Absurd policy’: Lawsuit challenges New Jersey school district’s secret gender transition rules

Thomas More Society attorney Christopher Ferrara says parents have a constitutional right to direct their children’s upbringing, while Moms for Liberty warns similar policies are spreading across New Jersey and the country.

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A New Jersey school district is being sued over a policy allowing students to change their name and gender identity at school without notifying their parents.

Under the School District of the Chathams’ policy, students are able to change their name in official school records, use the bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity, and the school guidance counselor decides “whether, and to what extent” parents are involved in the decision.

The school’s policy flies in the face of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta in March, which granted an injunction against California over state policies that keep students’ gender identities confidential from parents while the issue works its way through the lower courts, according to Christopher Ferrara, senior counsel for the Thomas More Society, who filed the lawsuit.

“Well, the court has made clear in the Mirabelli case, and the Third Circuit has a decision along the same lines, that parents have standing to challenge a policy like this, which would hide a gender transition from the parents, whether or not the child is actually transitioning,” Ferrara told Fox News Digital. “And the Supreme Court indicated that the reason parents have standing is that the parents are the objects of this policy.”

People supporting the right to opt their children out of classes containing LGBTQ-related content demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the court hears oral arguments in the Mahmoud v. Taylor case in Washington, D.C., on April 22, 2025. Parents challenged a Maryland public school district after it ended opt-outs for classroom discussions involving LGBTQ-related books.(Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images)

“The policy provides that this information will be hidden from them, so they have the right to object to it, whether or not their particular child or children is at that moment being transitioned. And there’s always a risk, of course, that the child under peer pressure, or the influence of teachers, or social media, will go along with this ridiculous trend and decide that his gender is not the biological one that parents believe is God-given and immutable, but some other gender.”

Ferrara noted that the policy could have major consequences for students who aren’t seeking to transition their gender because they could be forced to share locker rooms and bathrooms with members of the opposite sex.

Moms for Liberty CEO and founder Tina Descovich, whose organization is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, also alleged that students who refuse to use other students’ preferred pronouns could face disciplinary action under the school’s code of conduct.

“They have a policy in the school district that will actually punish children that don’t use the demanded new gender identity pronoun and name of another student,” Descovich told Fox News Digital. “They can do that just one time on accident, and they can be punished up to suspension just for using the wrong pronoun or the wrong name of someone that is identifying as something other than they actually are.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the School District of the Chathams for comment.

Along with Moms for America, two anonymous parents of elementary school-aged daughters are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed Aug. 24. The plaintiffs accuse the school of violating the parents’ and students’ First Amendment rights to free speech and religious liberty, as well as the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. The school district is also accused of violating parental rights that were affirmed in the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which determined that parents can opt their children out of LGBT-centered lessons.

WASHINGTON MOTHER PULLS CHILDREN FROM SCHOOL AFTER PRIDE LESSON SHOWN IN MUSIC CLASS WITHOUT NOTICE

Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks during the 2024 Joyful Warriors National Summit on Aug. 30, 2024, in Washington, D.C.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“The Supreme Court has ruled twice on these issues,” Descovich said. “We know that parents have to have a right to opt out of things that violate their religious beliefs.”

The lawsuit follows a June 15, 2026, school board meeting in which Ann Ciccarelli, president of the Chatham School District Board of Education, said the district was not legally bound by the Mirabelli decision and instead was required to follow the New Jersey Department of Education’s 2018 guidance on transgender students.

DAD OF THIRD-GRADE GIRL IN MASSACHUSETTS ALLEGEDLY BARGED IN ON BY TRANS STUDENT IN BATHROOM CALLS FOR ACTION

Parents from the Montgomery County Public Schools district speak out about parental rights issues impacting their school district outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 22, 2025.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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But New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin acknowledged that Policy 5756 is not mandatory, according to NJ Spotlight News.

“The guidance violates both Maribel and it violates Mahmood and, so you know there’s a lot of crossover and confusion here, but what it comes down to is the school board. The school has a duty and responsibility to protect constitutional rights of the citizens in its community of its employees of its students of its families, and it is not doing that,” Descovich said.

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Ferrara told Fox News Digital that since parents began speaking out against the policy, they have been subjected to threats and intimidation. He said that one family has had police security outside their homes.

“This is what happens when you oppose these policies,” Ferrara told Fox News Digital. “You basically are going to be subjected to a vicious public backlash by ideologues who are totally intolerant of basically the normal point of view on this issue.”

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.