Federal Judge Rules on Transgender Prisoner Care

A federal judge has mandated that the Trump administration must keep providing care and accommodations for transgender prisoners in federal correctional facilities. This decision arises from concerns that there wasn’t adequate justification for handling treatment for gender dysphoria differently than other medical issues.

This ruling, issued by US District Judge Lois Lamberth—appointed by Ronald Reagan—stops the enforcement of President Trump’s executive order. In a 36-page opinion, Lamberth pointed out, “Neither the BOP nor the executive order provide a serious explanation as to why the treatments covered by the executive order should be treated differently from other mental health interventions.”

In granting an injunction requested by three transgender inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the judge blocked the executive order’s implementation. Lamberth expressed that it’s highly probable the plaintiffs will succeed in their case under the Administrative Procedure Act. He highlighted, “Under the APA, the BOP may not voluntarily take away medications or other lifestyle accommodations deemed medically appropriate without considering the implications of that decision.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment, while a spokesperson from the BOP has stated that the agency does not comment on ongoing lawsuits.

Trump’s directive aimed to halt medical procedures that alter prisoners’ appearances to align with the opposite sex. Notably, the BOP had previously reversed its policy and began funding gender surgeries for transgender inmates in December 2022. This shift resulted in the first federal inmate, identified as Donna Langan, receiving taxpayer-funded gender surgery.

Langan had been convicted in 1997 for participation in a series of armed bank robberies across the Midwest and was a leader in a white supremacist group called the Aryan Republican Army.

This ruling occurs amidst various judicial challenges to Trump’s initiatives.