Mississippi ultimate Court Shuts Down Teen's Bid For Masculine Name Amid sex Transition

The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled this week that a 16-year-old biological female undergoing gender transition procedures cannot legally change her name to a more masculine one.

In an 8–1 decision issued April 17, the state’s highest court sided with a lower court judge who previously denied the teen’s request, concluding that Mississippi law gives judges discretion over name changes for minors and that such changes must clearly serve the best interests of the child.

The Mississippi Supreme Court in Jackson on Oct. 13, 2022. Kenneth C. Zirkel, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

The minor, identified in court documents as S.M.-B., first petitioned for a name change through her mother in July 2023. The request, which was uncontested and had the support of the teen’s father as well, was part of her gender transition, her attorney told the Hinds County Chancery Court during a Nov. 6 hearing.

“She identified as a male, and would like to be known as a male … through school, through college, preparing for college and so forth,” the attorney stated during the hearing, according to the Supreme Court’s opinion.

But Judge Tametrice Hodges denied the request later that month, ruling the teen should “mature” further before the court considers such a change. She dismissed the petition without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled later.

On appeal, attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union, representing the teen, argued that the lower court lacked discretion to deny the petition because it was uncontested. “Most [chancery court judges] grant uncontested minor name changes as a matter of course,” the ACLU said in a brief urging the state high court to take up the case. “The Mississippi Supreme Court must make clear the legal standard for this issue.”

But Justice James Maxwell, writing for the majority, rejected the ACLU’s argument.

“The petitioner’s primary appellate argument is that the [judge] had no discretion to deny the name-change petition because it was uncontested and both parents agreed,” Maxwell wrote. “But Mississippi law says otherwise.”

He cited existing precedent, noting that the right to change one’s name typically applies to “any person of mature years” – not minors. Under Mississippi law, minors are defined as individuals under the age of 21.

The court also emphasized that a name change for a minor may only be granted when it is “clearly in the best interest of the child” – and that trial judges have the discretion to make that determination.

Only one justice, Leslie King, dissented. He slammed the lower court for what he called a “deficient” record, writing that the trial court apparently conducted a bench conference off the record, took no evidence, and ended the hearing without allowing testimony from the minor or her parents.

“It is clear that further development of the facts in this case are necessary,” King wrote. “I find that the record is deficient and that the deficiency renders this Court unable to properly determine whether the chancery court dismissed the petition for correct or incorrect reasons.”

The mother had told the court that her daughter’s given name made her transition “more difficult.” Both parents supported the petition.

The case adds to the growing legal battles in the U.S. over how states handle gender identity issues involving minors. Mississippi’s ruling underscores that, in the Magnolia State, youth undergoing transition face strict judicial scrutiny — even when their families are on board.