Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Block Transgender Care

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to approve a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) policy that prohibits federal funds for hormone treatments, sex-altering surgeries, and social accommodations for transgender prisoners. The administration also seeks to enforce policies that house transgender prisoners according to biological sex rather than gender identity.

This emergency appeal follows a ruling by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, who blocked the policy and ordered the BOP to continue providing medical care. Judge Lamberth ruled that the policy was reverse engineered to implement a presidential executive order. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit previously declined to restore the policy, prompting the Justice Department to seek intervention from the highest court.

The administration argues that prioritizing mental health services over interventions it describes as medically disputed is necessary for institutional security. Solicitor General D. John Sauer stated that the decision to discontinue these treatments falls within the bounds of reasoned decision-making.