Seattle judge halts Trump administration's decision on youth gender-affirming medical treatment.
The Fight Against Trump's Gender-Affirming Care Restriction
A federal judge in Seattle has temporarily blocked President Trump's attempts to limit funds for gender-affirming care for young people under the age of 19.
U.S. District Judge Lauren King granted a temporary restraining order, preventing Trump's executive order from taking effect in Washington and several other states.
Trump's Legal Battles
This court decision is yet another challenge to the president's orders. In King's words to a packed courtroom, "It blatantly discriminates against trans youth" and is unlikely to pass constitutional scrutiny.
Crowds in both rooms, some waving trans pride flags, cheered the ruling.
The judge's decision is the latest response to Trump's late January directive that revokes federal funding, including grants and programs such as TRICARE and Medicaid, for trans and gender-diverse minor's gender-affirming care.
The Washington Legal Challenge
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, along with Oregon and Minnesota, filed a lawsuit asking the court to block the president's order. At a press conference announcing the complaint, Brown called the order "gross," "disgusting," and "hateful."
During a hearing, King questioned Department of Justice attorney Vinita Andrapalliyal on the specific treatments covered by the executive order and its potential discrimination. Andrapalliyal argued the president was simply exercising his executive powers by directing federal agencies to "implement policy objectives."
However, Tera Heintz, the state's deputy solicitor general, countered that the effects of the order are already being felt - with providers halting care, pharmacies stopping prescriptions, and families preparing to leave the country.
The Impact of the Order
The state's lawsuit claims that Trump's order is unconstitutional for three reasons: violating the Fifth Amendment's equal protection guarantee, attempting to regulate state medical practices, and taking over Congress' spending powers.
King's ruling specifically addresses two parts of the executive order. The first, Section 4, aims to defund research or grants to medical institutions providing gender-affirming care. The second, Section 8a, instructs the Justice Department to prioritize enforcement of a U.S. code that criminalizes "female genital mutilation" of minors, which Trump tries to redefine as gender-affirming care.
King's restraining order, lasting for 14 days and potentially extendable, blocks both sections from taking effect and applies only to the plaintiff states, not nationwide.
A similar ruling was made in Maryland, halting Trump's order and protecting medical institutions from having their funding pulled for providing gender-affirming care services.
Meanwhile, Seattle Children's hospital has started canceling some gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19 following Trump's executive order. It remains unclear how many appointments or procedures have been affected. Protests have taken place outside the hospital in response.
The next step for the state is likely to seek a preliminary injunction, a longer-term court order, to last throughout the case. A hearing on a preliminary injunction would be set for Feb. 28.
This Trump order is just one of several his administration has issued in recent weeks aimed at restricting trans rights, including in sports, military service, and prisons. The president has also declared that he will only recognize "two sexes," male and female.
Medical student Natalie Koconis reacted to King's decision with relief. "Gender-affirming care is a cornerstone of medicine," she said outside the courthouse. "This is not a final answer, but I'm glad that federal overreach is not going to prevent us from doing our jobs."
[1] Washington v. Trump, 3:20-cv-01861 (W.D. Wash.)[2] Minnesota v. Trump, 1:21-cv-00433 (D. Minn.)
- The president's attempts to limit funds for gender-affirming care for young people have been blocked by a federal judge in Seattle, preventing his executive order from taking effect in Washington and several other states.
- The judge's decision is a response to Trump's late January directive that revokes federal funding for trans and gender-diverse minor's gender-affirming care.
- Trump's order is unconstitutional for three reasons, claims the Washington Attorney General - violating the Fifth Amendment's equal protection guarantee, attempting to regulate state medical practices, and taking over Congress' spending powers.
- King's ruling blocks two sections of the executive order from taking effect, including Section 4 which aims to defund research or grants to medical institutions providing gender-affirming care.
- Seattle Children's hospital has started canceling some gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19 following Trump's executive order, with protests taking place outside the hospital in response.
- Protests have also occurred in Seattle in response to Trump's attempts to restrict trans rights, including in sports, military service, and prisons.
- Gender-affirming care is a cornerstone of medicine, commented medical student Natalie Koconis outside the courthouse, but this decision is not a final answer as the state seeks a preliminary injunction.
- In addition to gender-affirming care, the president's order also instructs the Justice Department to prioritize enforcement of a U.S. code that criminalizes "female genital mutilation" of minors, which Trump tries to redefine as gender-affirming care.
- The court's ruling in Seattle comes after a similar ruling in Maryland, halting Trump's order and protecting medical institutions from having their funding pulled for providing gender-affirming care services.
- The president's order is yet another challenge to his orders, with Judge King's words saying it "blatantly discriminates against trans youth" and is unlikely to pass constitutional scrutiny.
- The president's actions in politics continue to impact various sectors, from jobs and health care to climate change and war-and-conflicts, as well as policy-and-legislation, crime-and-justice, and general-news, including car-accidents and fires.
