Supreme Court won't allow Trump administration restrictions on transgender inmates

Key Points:

• The US Supreme Court denied the Trump administration's emergency request to enforce a policy restricting gender-affirming care for transgender inmates in federal prisons, upholding a federal judge's order blocking the policy.
• The policy, issued in February, prohibits medical and surgical treatments as well as social accommodations for transgender inmates but allows psychiatric services; it is currently being challenged in a class action lawsuit filed by three transgender inmates.
• The court's decision marks a rare victory for transgender rights amid a conservative majority that has ruled against transgender protections in other recent cases.
• The federal judge who blocked the policy found it likely arbitrary and capricious, stating the Bureau of Prisons reversed its own evidence to implement Trump's executive order, which restricts gender-affirming care.
• The Trump administration argued the care was unproven and prioritized mental health treatment, but challengers warned that denying hormone therapy could cause severe mental health harm, including increased risk of depression and suicide.