US court halts Trump's directive on transgender inmates
A federal judge has ruled that transgender women cannot be moved to men's prisons or be denied hormone therapy. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The US president has ordered to ensure that “males are not detained in women’s prisons.”
A US judge has intervened, blocking President Donald Trump’s administration from transferring transgender inmates to men’s prisons and cutting off their access to medical treatments related to gender transitions. This ruling directly challenges an executive order signed by Trump on January 20, his first day back in office, directing the Bureau of Prisons to house inmates according to their biological sex while eliminating funding for specific medical treatments. The order explicitly mandates that the federal bureau ensure that “males are not detained in women’s prisons.”
In a sweeping ruling that temporarily halts the executive order, US District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, DC, determined that three transgender inmates who had previously filed a lawsuit are likely to succeed in proving the policy unconstitutional. The lawsuit claims that incarcerated transgender women are being put in danger by losing access to medical care through an executive order that “categorically bans transgender healthcare regardless of medical necessity.”
The plaintiffs reportedly spent months or even years in women’s units before January, when they were moved from the general population in women’s prisons to segregated units with other transgender women while awaiting transfers to men’s facilities. An attorney representing them expressed that they were “terrified” of the impending transfers. Judge Lamberth recognized that the transgender inmates faced a “significantly elevated risk of physical and sexual violence” and “numerous and severe symptoms” without sufficient medical care.
The judge also pointed out that there are only around 16 transgender women currently housed in US women’s penitentiaries, including the three plaintiffs involved in the case. He concluded that “the public interest in seeing the plaintiffs relocated immediately to male facilities is slight at best.”
This ruling marks the second instance in which a federal judge has sided with LGBTQ+ legal rights groups that sought to halt the US Bureau of Prisons from enforcing Trump’s directive. Since assuming office, Trump has released multiple gender-related orders asserting that the US government policy is that “there are only two genders – male and female.”
Moreover, Trump has rolled back protections for transgender rights and is in the process of dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion programs established during former President Joe Biden’s administration. Trump has also terminated federal support for medical procedures related to sex reassignment for individuals under 19, claiming these “chemical and surgical mutilations” of children should cease.
Last month, he signed an order aimed at eradicating “radical gender ideology” from the US armed forces, declaring that military service should be reserved for those who are mentally and physically fit for duty. On Thursday, another executive order was signed barring trans women from competing in female sports. His administration has additionally announced intentions to prevent transgender athletes from participating in international events hosted by the US, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the World Cup.
Many of Trump’s policies have already encountered legal challenges, with federal judges blocking several of his directives. The administration’s approach has drawn significant backlash from civil rights organizations and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
A US judge has intervened, blocking President Donald Trump’s administration from transferring transgender inmates to men’s prisons and cutting off their access to medical treatments related to gender transitions. This ruling directly challenges an executive order signed by Trump on January 20, his first day back in office, directing the Bureau of Prisons to house inmates according to their biological sex while eliminating funding for specific medical treatments. The order explicitly mandates that the federal bureau ensure that “males are not detained in women’s prisons.”
In a sweeping ruling that temporarily halts the executive order, US District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, DC, determined that three transgender inmates who had previously filed a lawsuit are likely to succeed in proving the policy unconstitutional. The lawsuit claims that incarcerated transgender women are being put in danger by losing access to medical care through an executive order that “categorically bans transgender healthcare regardless of medical necessity.”
The plaintiffs reportedly spent months or even years in women’s units before January, when they were moved from the general population in women’s prisons to segregated units with other transgender women while awaiting transfers to men’s facilities. An attorney representing them expressed that they were “terrified” of the impending transfers. Judge Lamberth recognized that the transgender inmates faced a “significantly elevated risk of physical and sexual violence” and “numerous and severe symptoms” without sufficient medical care.
The judge also pointed out that there are only around 16 transgender women currently housed in US women’s penitentiaries, including the three plaintiffs involved in the case. He concluded that “the public interest in seeing the plaintiffs relocated immediately to male facilities is slight at best.”
This ruling marks the second instance in which a federal judge has sided with LGBTQ+ legal rights groups that sought to halt the US Bureau of Prisons from enforcing Trump’s directive. Since assuming office, Trump has released multiple gender-related orders asserting that the US government policy is that “there are only two genders – male and female.”
Moreover, Trump has rolled back protections for transgender rights and is in the process of dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion programs established during former President Joe Biden’s administration. Trump has also terminated federal support for medical procedures related to sex reassignment for individuals under 19, claiming these “chemical and surgical mutilations” of children should cease.
Last month, he signed an order aimed at eradicating “radical gender ideology” from the US armed forces, declaring that military service should be reserved for those who are mentally and physically fit for duty. On Thursday, another executive order was signed barring trans women from competing in female sports. His administration has additionally announced intentions to prevent transgender athletes from participating in international events hosted by the US, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the World Cup.
Many of Trump’s policies have already encountered legal challenges, with federal judges blocking several of his directives. The administration’s approach has drawn significant backlash from civil rights organizations and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.
Sophie Wagner contributed to this report for TROIB News
