A U.S. federal judge has halted efforts by former President Donald Trump’s administration to restrict gender-affirming healthcare for transgender inmates, ruling that the government must continue providing prescribed hormone treatments in federal prisons.

In a firm rebuke of the policy, Judge Royce Lamberth issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday, ordering the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to maintain access to gender-affirming medication for inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria — a recognized medical condition marked by psychological distress due to a disconnect between an individual’s gender identity and their assigned sex at birth.

“All parties seem to agree that the named plaintiffs do, in fact, need hormone therapy,” Lamberth wrote in his 36-page ruling.

The now-blocked policy, shaped under Trump’s directive, aimed to revise federal prison healthcare guidelines by prohibiting the use of government funds for procedures or treatments "for the purpose of conforming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex." But Lamberth said the BOP failed to follow proper rulemaking procedures and neglected to consider the serious mental health implications for inmates.

“Nothing in the thin record before the Court suggests that either the BOP or the President consciously took stock of—much less studied—the potentially debilitating effects that the new policies could have on transgender inmates,” Lamberth wrote.

The ruling came in response to a legal challenge filed by three transgender inmates — Alishea Kingdom, Solo Nichols, and Jas Kapule — all of whom had been receiving hormone therapy and gender-affirming supplies before the BOP, under the new guidance, interrupted or reduced that care.

Kingdom, a transgender woman, testified that stopping her hormone treatment in February triggered panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, and severe emotional distress. Nichols reported a reduction in his testosterone treatment, while Kapule maintained access to therapy throughout. Once the lawsuit was filed, Kingdom and Nichols saw their treatments restored.

Judge Lamberth also certified the case as a class action, meaning the ruling will now apply to all transgender federal inmates currently undergoing hormone therapy — a group estimated to include around 1,000 people.

In court, government attorneys attempted to justify the BOP’s actions by saying hormone therapy was being provided for mental health reasons — not for gender appearance changes. However, the judge found this explanation inconsistent with both the policy and its impact.

The Bureau of Prisons declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.

This case represents another key chapter in the legal battles surrounding transgender rights and federal healthcare policies, highlighting the tension between administrative decisions and medically recognized treatment standards — with real-life consequences for those behind bars.


By WafricNews Desk.