Washington, DC — The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s emergency request to immediately enforce restrictions on medical care for transgender people in federal prisons, leaving a lower-court injunction in place while litigation continues.
The policy, issued by the Bureau of Prisons in February, would halt hormone therapy, surgeries and certain accommodations intended to align an inmate’s appearance with their gender identity. Federal prisons have provided hormone treatment for gender dysphoria since at least 1992.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth blocked the restrictions in June, finding the Bureau of Prisons likely acted unlawfully by disregarding its own prior evidence and experience. He wrote that officials appeared to have “reverse engineered” the policy to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting federal recognition of transgender identity.
The Supreme Court gave no explanation for denying the administration’s request, which is common in emergency cases. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito publicly dissented.
The lawsuit was brought by three transgender prisoners and is proceeding as a class action. Reuters reported that the ruling affects roughly 1,000 inmates covered by the litigation.
The decision is a notable setback for Trump’s broader effort to restrict transgender rights. The court has previously allowed his transgender military ban to take effect and upheld several state-level restrictions affecting transgender people.
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