Judge Blocks Orders Against Transgender Youth Healthcare

A federal judge extended an order preventing the Trump administration from withholding federal funding from medical providers in four Democratic states offering gender-affirming care to transgender youth, deeming it unconstitutional. This decision challenges executive orders limiting such healthcare and could influence broader legal judgments.

A federal judge late Friday extended an order that prevents former President Donald Trump's administration from withholding federal funding from medical providers in four Democratic-led states offering gender-affirming care to transgender youth under 19.

Judge Lauren King in Seattle issued a preliminary injunction, deeming two of the Republican president's executive orders unconstitutional. The orders aimed at withholding research and education grants from institutions providing gender-affirming care in Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington. King argued that these orders infringed on Congress' power to allocate federal funding and violated the equal protection guarantee of the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment.

King's ruling opposes Trump's directives to eliminate recognition of transgender individuals and medical care for gender dysphoria. While another judge in Maryland considers a similar injunction nationwide, legal challenges continue, with potential implications for the U.S. Supreme Court's future ruling on Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

(With inputs from agencies.)