Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to End Transgender Prison Medical Care

The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Monday to lift a court order blocking a Bureau of Prisons policy that ends hormone therapy, surgeries, and social accommodations for transgender inmates.

• February 2026 BOP policy keeps mental health care but ends hormone therapy and surgeries.
• U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth blocked the policy in June, then again in August.
• The DC Circuit declined earlier this month to restore the policy pending appeal.
• Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed the emergency petition citing institutional security concerns.

Why it matters: The case turns on whether courts must defer to the Bureau of Prisons on medical and security policy for inmates.

• Lamberth ruled the policy was "arbitrary and capricious" because the agency did not adequately weigh its own prior experience providing the care.
• The DC Circuit said the bureau had not "adequately" considered "its own experience providing gender affirming care under its prior policy."

How 14 sources split on this story

Where they split: The core dispute is whether the Bureau of Prisons acted within lawful administrative authority or failed to follow required procedures when it ended the treatments.

What’s next: Inmates covered by Lamberth's order may respond to the Supreme Court application.

• The Court will likely decide the emergency request within weeks, with no formal deadline set.
• Will the Supreme Court grant emergency relief, and on what legal grounds?
• If the policy takes effect, how will the Bureau of Prisons manage inmates currently mid-treatment?