DOJ asks Supreme Court to allow policy ending medical care for transgender inmates

The Trump administration has petitioned the Supreme Court in an emergency appeal to reinstate a Bureau of Prisons policy that ends medical care and social accommodations for transgender inmates. This request comes in response to a federal district court ruling that allowed the Bureau to continue providing medical services to transgender inmates.

The judge responsible for the ruling, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, ordered the administration to maintain medical care for a specific group of transgender inmates. This decision was based on a lawsuit filed by inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria who challenged President Trump's executive order from the beginning of his second term.

The executive order prohibited the use of federal funds for medical procedures and treatments for transgender inmates in the federal Bureau of Prisons system. Subsequently, the Bureau issued new guidelines that prohibited staff from granting clothing accommodations and barred the use of federal funds for medical interventions. Despite these changes, the Bureau maintained that mental health services would still be provided for inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Judge Lamberth disagreed with the new rules in June, stating they were "reverse engineered" to implement the executive order. He ordered the Bureau to continue providing medical treatments for transgender inmates. The Justice Department has since appealed the decision, arguing that the district court substituted its own judgment for that of the administration. The Bureau claims the new policy is necessary to maintain institutional security.