Federal judge pauses Trump order protecting minors from trans surgery

U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson ruled Thursday to pause the enforcement of two executive orders of President Donald Trump that sought to counter transgender ideology. The Department of Health and Human Services may not pull funding from hospitals for performing transgender surgeries or hormone treatments to patients under the age of 19, according to the court order by Hurson. The Biden-appointed judge gave the stop order after hearing arguments on Thursday and noted that the 14-day pause could be extended.

What’s the case background? The injunction came out of a lawsuit filed by a group of transgender teenagers, their families, and several advocacy groups against the Trump administration’s recent executive orders on federal funding. The lawsuit took issue with Trump’s day-one executive order to stop federally funding programs and organizations promoting gender ideology. The filing includes another order from Trump specifically defunding medical organizations and hospitals that supported and performed transgender procedures on patients under 19.

What kind of arguments were made? The American Civil Liberties Union represented plaintiffs and argued that Trump’s orders resulted in immediate and substantial consequences for plaintiffs. Hospitals across the country immediately started canceling appointments and turning away patients seeking regular care they had received for years, according to a Thursday statement from the ACLU.

Defense attorneys for the Department of Justice argued that the plaintiff’s lawsuit was premature and abstract, according to reporting by The Washington Post. The DOJ also noted that the order merely redirected federal funding and did not change the legality of procedures.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on hospitals pausing transgender procedures in the wake of Trump’s executive orders.