Supreme Court Blocks Trump Policy Limiting Transgender Inmate Care

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to let the Trump administration enforce a policy restricting treatment for transgender federal inmates. The unsigned order gave no explanation.

• 1,000 transgender inmates, roughly, are in federal custody.
• 2 justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, would have granted the request.
• The policy bars hormones, surgery, and items like wigs and makeup.
• Only psychotherapy and psychiatric services would remain available.

Why it matters: The ruling leaves treatment in place for inmates while the case plays out. The court has otherwise sided with the administration and states on transgender issues.

• The court allowed Trump's ban on transgender military service.
• It let passports list sex assigned at birth.
• It upheld state bans on transgender athletes and youth treatment.

How 43 sources split on this story

Where they split: The parties dispute whether the Bureau of Prisons adequately justified the change or reverse-engineered reasons to fit Trump's executive order.

What’s next: The class action lawsuit continues. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled the bureau failed to follow proper procedures, and the D.C. Circuit backed him 2-1.

• The Justice Department argues the bureau is owed deference on security and medical decisions.
• The ACLU says the bureau cited no security incident tied to treatment in 30 years.
• Why did the court decline to explain an order that had been fully briefed for weeks?
• Will the administration issue a revised policy with new justification to satisfy the courts?