The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to let the Trump administration immediately enforce new restrictions on medical care for transgender people in federal prisons, the Associated Press reported.
The order leaves in place a lower-court ruling blocking the Bureau of Prisons policy, which would halt gender-transition surgeries, taper off hormone therapy and end accommodations such as makeup and wigs. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas would have let it take effect.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth had ordered treatment to continue, noting that untreated gender dysphoria can cause severe depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. About 600 inmates were receiving hormone therapy in 2025, according to court records.
The court has previously allowed other Trump policies on transgender people, including military service limits and passport sex markers, to proceed while litigation continues.
Sources: AP via ABC News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Photo by Mr. Kjetil Ree. / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
