Federal Judge John Bates declined on Tuesday to extend a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration following a legal back and forth regarding the deletion of certain gender-related health information on government websites, Bloomberg first reported.
The order issued on Tuesday states the administration has agreed to maintain, in their current state, multiple websites that contain health information while the administration reviews the data.
On Feb. 4, Doctors for America sued various offices in the Trump administration over the removal of gender ideology data arguing, "The removal of key web pages and datasets creates a dangerous gap in the scientific data available to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks, deprives physicians of resources that guide clinical practice, and takes away key resources for communicating and engaging with patients."
On Feb. 11, Bates had issued a restraining order that agencies restore public access to health-related web pages and datasets that they removed to comply with an executive order by President Donald Trump.
A CDC website that provided "fast facts" on HIV gave an example of where the administration had said it disagreed with the information presented.
"Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this website as of 11:59 PM ET, February 14, 2025," the message read. "Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes: male and female. The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology and condemns the harms it causes to children by promoting their chemical and surgical mutilation, and to women by depriving them of their dignity, safety, well-being, and opportunities. This page does not reflect biological reality, and therefore the Administration and this Department rejects it."
The Trump administration wanted the order to expire, while Doctors for America hoped for the order to be extended. On Monday, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., filed articles of impeachment against Bates after he had ordered health agencies to restore online data that had been removed as part of the administration's opposition to "gender ideology."
"I just formally introduced articles of impeachment against RADICAL LGBTQ ACTIVIST U.S. District Judge John Bates – At no point in American history has the judiciary considered the surgical or chemical castration of healthy children to be a compelling or even legitimate health concern, and it shouldn't start now. We must protect our children from predators like Judge Bates," Ogles wrote on X.
It is not clear moving forward if the articles of impeachment will be rescinded in light of Bates' decision on Tuesday.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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