Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Transgender Passport Policy in Maryland

A federal judge in Maryland, Chief U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III, issued a preliminary injunction against President Donald Trump's administration policy that restricts passport gender markers to only male or female, halting enforcement of the policy for six transgender and nonbinary Americans. The policy, stemming from an executive order signed by Trump shortly after his inauguration, required government-issued IDs to reflect biological sex at birth and suspended the allowance of gender markers such as “X.” The lawsuit, backed by Lambda Legal and filed by seven transgender plaintiffs, argued that the policy causes immediate and irreparable harm and violates constitutional equal protection rights. Judge Russell ruled that the policy does not serve an important governmental interest and that the discriminatory means used are not substantially related to achieving any such objectives. This ruling follows a similar decision by a federal court in Boston that also blocked the Trump administration’s transgender passport restrictions. Legal advocates called the decision a crucial victory for transgender rights, emphasizing the harm caused by forcing inaccurate identity documents on transgender Americans.