Second Federal Judge Pauses Trump Order on Gender Care for Youth

A second federal judge on Friday paused President Donald Trump’s executive order halting federal support for gender transition care for transgender youth under 19.

U.S. District Court Judge Lauren King granted a temporary restraining order after the Democratic attorneys general of Washington state, Oregon and Minnesota sued the Trump administration last week. Three doctors joined as plaintiffs in the suit, which was filed in the Western District of Washington.

The decision came one day after a federal judge in Baltimore temporarily blocked the executive order in response to a separate lawsuit filed on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children. Judge Brendan Hurson’s temporary restraining order will last 14 days but could be extended, and essentially puts Trump’s directive on hold while the case proceeds. Hurston and King were both appointed by former President Joe Biden.

Trump signed an executive order last month halting federal funding for institutions that provide the care and directing federally run insurance programs, including Medicaid and TRICARE for military families, to exclude coverage for it. The order also calls on the Department of Justice to pursue litigation and legislation to oppose it.

Medicaid programs in some states cover gender care. Trump’s order suggests that the practice could end, and targets hospitals and universities that receive federal money and provide the care.

In the complaint filed in Seattle, the three Democrat attorneys general argue that the executive order violates equal rights protections, the separation of powers and states’ powers to regulate what is not specifically delegated to the federal government.

The Trump administration disputed those claims in court filings. “The President’s authority to direct subordinate agencies to implement his agenda, subject to those agencies’ own statutory authorities, is well established,” Justice Department attorneys wrote.