Supreme Court upholds pause on Trump's anti-trans prison policy

Care must continue for now

The court gave no reasoning for denying the administration’s request. Its order also noted that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito would have granted the request to pause the lower court’s ruling.

Lower courts rejected a pause

A federal district judge barred the Bureau of Prisons from carrying out its policy this summer. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit later rejected the administration’s effort to suspend U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth’s order.

After those rulings, U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to intervene. The injunction remains in place as the legal dispute continues.

Estimates of affected inmates

The case, Kingdom v. Trump, represents 1,000 inmates with a gender dysphoria diagnosis, Nowlin-Sohl said. The ACLU estimates that about 800 have been prescribed hormone therapy, and many also receive social transition accommodations.

Arguments over treatment and risk

The ACLU argued that the agency’s records did not show that doctors found the treatment harmful or that it compromised security. Gender-affirming care can include hormone therapy and surgeries, though some transgender people may not need those interventions.

Gender-affirming care is considered medically necessary for treating gender dysphoria, which involves distress arising from a mismatch between assigned sex at birth and gender identity. Without care, people may experience serious mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

Wider policy disputes remain

The Supreme Court’s decision differs from rulings that have supported other parts of the Trump administration’s anti-trans agenda. Last June, the court said states may bar transgender girls from sports at publicly funded schools. In 2025, it upheld state laws prohibiting health professionals from providing gender-affirming care to minors. The article also notes that President Trump targeted the trans community in an executive order early in his second term, but the account of that order ends mid-sentence.