As reported by The Insider, the US Supreme Court rejected Donald Trump’s administration’s request to allow it to stop hormone therapy for about 1,000 transgender inmates in federal prisons and did not revoke accommodations for them such as wigs and cosmetics.
The decision was made on October 21 without explanation, and conservative justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. While the dispute continues, the lower court’s finding remains in force that the Federal Bureau of Prisons did not properly assess the effectiveness of these measures before abandoning them.
The Bureau acted pursuant to an executive order that Donald Trump signed on the first day of his second term. The document prohibits spending federal funds on procedures and medications intended to bring an inmate’s appearance into line with the opposite sex.
US Solicitor General John Sauer, representing the administration before the Supreme Court, insisted that the Court should rely on the Bureau’s judgment. According to him, the agency relied on “the latest scientific data” and concluded that safety concerns outweigh any benefit from such procedures.
The policy was challenged by three inmates, and the lead plaintiff, Alisha Kingdom, says she had been receiving hormones since 2016. After they were stopped, she says, she began having panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.
In June, District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington suspended the new rules, finding that the Bureau had likely violated the federal Administrative Procedure Act. He wrote that denying gender-affirming care to patients who need it for medical reasons can worsen mental health and lead to increases in depression, anxiety, and self-harm.
The appeals court upheld that decision by a 2-1 vote.
Sources
