Judge Blocks Trump Order on Trans Inmate Care

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Federal Bureau of Prisons to continue providing hormone therapy and social accommodations—including stand-to-pee devices, gender-conforming clothing, and hair removal products—to transgender inmates. The ruling blocks President Trump's executive order, which had sought to ban the use of federal funds for gender-affirming medical procedures and treatments in federal prisons. Judge Royce Lamberth ruled the administration's policy as arbitrary and capricious, lacking a reasonable justification for treating gender dysphoria differently than other medical conditions. The decision, which applies to a certified class of transgender prisoners, found that denying such care likely violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment due to severe mental health risks. The injunction ensures continued access to these treatments and accommodations while the lawsuit proceeds. The legal challenge will determine the long-term fate of gender-affirming care in federal prisons.