(The Hill) — A federal judge extended a temporary injunction on Friday blocking the Trump administration from withholding federal funds from institutions that provide gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
U.S. District Court Judge Lauren King ruled that President Trump’s executive orders violate the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment, which grants equal protection under the law.
King said Trump’s existing orders would “prevent federally funded medical providers from providing necessary medical treatments to transgender youth that are completely unrelated to gender identity.”
“For example, a cisgender teen could obtain puberty blockers from such a provider as a component of cancer treatment, but a transgender teen with the same cancer care plan could not,” she wrote in her ruling.
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Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington, each led by Democratic attorney generals, filed the lawsuit against the Republican administration, seeking to dismantle threats to medical care for trans-gender youth.
More than 80 House Democrats also penned a letter to Trump last month urging him to revoke one of the executive orders targeted by King’s ruling, arguing unconstitutionality.
Their collective effort against Trump comes as the president has sought to enforce a ban preventing transgender soldiers from serving in the armed forces while using his executive power to remove diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices from federal agencies and departments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
