• A federal judge rules that hormone therapy must be provided to transgender inmates.
• The ruling blocks Trump’s executive order aimed at limiting transgender health care.
• Over 600 inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria are impacted by the decision.
• The Bureau of Prisons must continue providing social accommodations including clothing.
• The ruling certifies a class action for all transgender inmates in federal custody.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has mandated that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons continue offering hormone therapy and necessary social accommodations to transgender inmates. This ruling comes in response to a lawsuit challenging an executive order issued by President Trump that sought to restrict such treatments, which had disrupted medical care for many inmates. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth highlighted that federal law prohibits prison officials from arbitrarily denying medications and treatments that medical staff has deemed necessary. This ruling impacts over 600 transgender individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria currently receiving hormonal treatments, according to HuffPost and India Times.

Judge Lamberth stressed that the plaintiffs are pursuing hormone therapy to alleviate personal distress stemming from gender dysphoria, rather than to promote an ideology. He stated, "In light of the plaintiffs’ largely personal motives for undergoing gender-affirming care... the BOP nor the Executive Order provides any serious explanation as to why the treatment modalities should be handled differently than any other mental health intervention," according to Los Angeles Times and CBS News.

The ruling is especially significant as it establishes a class of plaintiffs that includes all individuals in federal prisons who are or will be diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The judge's decision temporarily blocks the implementation of the executive order which directed the Bureau of Prisons to stop using federal funds for treatments affirming an inmate's gender identity, as well as policies that obstruct social accommodation requests. The Bureau of Prisons had previously criticized the executive order, acknowledging it could lead to severe mental health implications for those affected, as noted by Reuters and HuffPost.

While the Department of Justice may appeal this ruling, Lamberth underscored that a working democracy mandates adherence to laws that prevent arbitrary action by government officials, reaffirming the importance of medical care for all inmates regardless of external political pressures, according to Los Angeles Times and Reuters.