US Supreme Court rebuffs Trump administration restrictions on medical care for transgender inmates

The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to permit the Trump administration to immediately implement new medical limitations for transgender detainees in federal prisons. This ruling maintains a lower-court injunction against the policy. The order, issued by President Donald Trump during his second term, was a response to transgender rights restrictions.

While the court did not elaborate on its reasoning, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas would have permitted the policy to proceed during litigation. The Supreme Court has previously permitted other Trump administration policies to proceed, such as restrictions on military service and passport gender markers. Trump's executive order directed the Bureau of Prisons to alter its medical care policies, prohibiting the use of federal funds for surgeries that change an inmate's appearance to the opposite sex, and halting hormone treatments and social accommodations like makeup and wigs.