Former NBA Star Stockton Makes Final Appeal to Supreme Court

Stockton, doctors challenge COVID-19 speech restrictions in last-ditch effort

Apr. 8, 2026 at 8:37pm

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A cinematic painting of a solitary basketball hoop and backboard in a dimly lit urban alleyway, with warm, diagonal sunlight and deep shadows, conceptually representing the personal and professional challenges faced by former NBA player John Stockton in his legal battle over COVID-19 speech restrictions.As the legal battle over COVID-19 speech restrictions continues, a lone basketball hoop stands as a symbol of the personal and professional challenges faced by former NBA star John Stockton.Washington Today

NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton and two medical doctors have filed a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to review a lower court ruling that dismissed their lawsuit against the Washington Medical Commission over COVID-19 speech restrictions. The petitioners argue that punishing doctors for their public views on vaccines and treatments is unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

Why it matters

This case could set a precedent on the limits of professional speech, with the petitioners arguing that the government cannot suppress the free speech rights of doctors and other professionals simply by labeling their views as 'unprofessional conduct'.

The details

In 2024, Stockton and his co-plaintiffs sued the Washington Medical Commission and state attorney general, alleging that two doctors were disciplined for publishing opinions online and in newspapers that 'vaccines are unsafe and COVID tests are inaccurate, as well as lauding alternative treatments that are scientifically proven to be ineffective and even potentially dangerous.' A federal judge dismissed the case, claiming the plaintiffs' arguments were 'unripe' and their 'First Amendment and Due Process challenges are without merit.' The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit later agreed with the lower court's decision.

  • In 2024, Stockton filed the lawsuit alongside two medical doctors and the nonprofit Children's Health Defense.
  • In 2024, a federal judge dismissed the case.
  • In May 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit agreed with the lower court decision.
  • On Monday, the petitioners filed a letter to the U.S. Supreme Court as a last ditch effort to get the court to address the case.

The players

John Stockton

A former NBA Hall of Famer and 10-time All-Star who played point guard for the Utah Jazz.

Washington Medical Commission

The state medical regulatory agency that disciplined two doctors for their public statements about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

Washington State Attorney General

The state's top law enforcement official who was named as a defendant in the lawsuit alongside the Washington Medical Commission.

Children's Health Defense

A nonprofit organization that joined Stockton and the two doctors as co-plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

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What they’re saying

“We appreciate that the plaintiffs vigorously disagree with the Washington medical practices and actions. For several reasons, though, we cannot reach the merits of the plaintiffs' constitutional challenges.”

— Judge Milan D. Smith, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit

What’s next

If the Supreme Court agrees to take the case, it could potentially set a precedent on professional speech, if the judges agree with the petitioners' request to 'hold that public viewpoint speech by professionals is subject to the strictest possible scrutiny, and government restrictions on such speech are (or are likely) per se unconstitutional.'

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tensions between public health policies, free speech rights, and the authority of medical regulatory bodies to discipline professionals for their public statements, even on controversial topics like COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.