DOJ pulls challenge to Tennessee law banning trans procedures for minors

The Trump administration’s Department of Justice on Monday formally dismissed a Biden-era challenge against Tennessee’s law protecting minors from so-called sex change procedures. The previous administration filed an intervening complaint in a case against Tennessee brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. The advocacy group sued Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti over the state’s 2023 law protecting children from medical attempts to change their sex characteristics. Officials dismissed the intervening complaint as it served no public interest, according to a Monday statement. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the complaint can’t be refiled in the future. Federal prosecutors will no longer attack state laws protecting children, Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a written statement.

Why wasn’t the case withdrawn sooner? Trump’s DOJ withdrew the case weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court validated the Tennessee law in question with a June ruling. SCOTUS rejected Biden’s intervention challenge with a 6-3 decision, reaffirming the rational basis for enforcing the law, the DOJ noted. Individual plaintiffs in the case already dismissed their respective complaints, the release added. SCOTUS’ June ruling impacted two dozen other states with pre-existing laws protecting minors from transgender procedures.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s report on the Supreme Court’s ruling for more about the case.