Trump Seeks Supreme Court Block On Transgender Surgery Payments
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to lift a lower court order. That order blocked a new rule for federal prisons. The rule would stop the government from paying for transgender surgeries. An emergency petition was filed by the Department of Justice to the justices. This move comes after a federal judge halted a policy from February 2026.
Per The Washington Examiner, the blocked policy ended surgeries for inmates with gender dysphoria. It did not remove mental health treatment options. The Department of Justice wants the high court to let the new rule stand while legal fights continue. President Trump asked the court to approve the policy on Monday. The policy refuses to pay for hormone treatments or surgeries for prisoners seeking transition.
Royce Lamberth, a U.S. District Judge, issued an order blocking the policy. Per The Daily Caller, his ruling requires the Bureau of Prisons to keep providing sex change operations. The court also ordered the continued delivery of hormone replacement therapy. Other medical accommodations must remain available for transgender inmates.
Judge Lamberth blocked these policies in June. The Bureau of Prisons was ordered to continue these treatments. The administration argues the judge's order causes harm. Solicitor General D. According to reports, the court's ruling inflicts irreparable harm upon both the government and the public.
Solicitor General Sauer argued the policy was lawfully enacted. He said the change relied on the latest scientific information. He further pointed to security issues and prison-administration worries that surpassed any limited benefits they possessed. Sauer wrote that the district court prohibited the Bureau from applying its 2026 policy without meaningfully engaging with the reasoning.
Per The Washington Examiner, Sauer noted the lower court had "radically" departed "from the significant deference that BOP is due." The executive order behind the rule states: "This unhealthy road is paved by an ongoing and purposeful attack against the ordinary and longstanding use and understanding of biological and scientific terms." The order also states that invalidating the true and biological category of "woman" undermines laws designed to protect sex-based opportunities.
The Supreme Court must now decide if the policy can take effect. The Bureau of Prisons issued the new policy after the January 2025 executive order. It ended surgeries, hormone therapy, and social treatments like chest binders and wigs. The Washington Times reported that the administration seeks to reinstate these rules immediately.
The legal battle centers on the authority of prison administrators. Sauer stated that prison administrators determined the policy was necessary to maintain institutional security. The court's order stops this determination for now. The administration hopes the high court will step in. The final outcome depends on the justices' review of the emergency request.