Latest news with #JudgeRoyceLamberth
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Judge OVERRULES Trump and tells prisons to keep giving trans inmates their meds in blockbuster decision
A judge has ruled the federal Bureau of Prisons must provide hormone therapy to transgender inmates after Donald Trump signed an executive order halting all treatments. Trump issued the order within hours of his inauguration in January forcing the federal government to only recognize two genders - male and female - as well as, house transgender women in men's prisons and not fund gender-affirming care. Several transgender prisoners sued the administration to have their treatments resumed. US District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled on Tuesday that federal law prohibits prison officials from arbitrarily depriving inmates of medications and other lifestyle accommodations that the bureau's medical staff has deemed appropriate. The judge said the transgender inmates who sued to block Trump's executive order are trying to lessen the personal anguish caused by their gender dysphoria, the distress that a person feels because their assigned gender and gender identity don´t match. 'In light of the plaintiffs' largely personal motives for undergoing gender-affirming care, neither the BOP nor the Executive Order provides any serious explanation as to why the treatment modalities covered by the Executive Order or implementing memoranda should be handled differently than any other mental health intervention,' Lamberth said. Trump's order required the bureau to revise its medical care policies so that federal funds aren't spent 'for the purpose of conforming an inmate's appearance to that of the opposite sex.' There are approximately 1,500 federal prisoners who are transgender women and 750 transgender men, The New York Times reported. One of the plaintiffs, Alishea Kingdom, is a transgender woman who was prescribed hormone therapy injections and approved to receive social accommodations, including women's undergarments and cosmetics. Kingdom was denied her hormone shot three times after Trump signed his order, but she had it restored roughly a week after she sued. Her access to feminine undergarments hasn't been restored, according to the judge's ruling. 'In Ms. Kingdom's case, there is no indication at all that the BOP means to leave her hormone therapy in place long-term; indeed, as noted above, she was informed by BOP personnel that the decision to resume her treatment was a consequence of this litigation itself, raising the specter that her treatments might be discontinued as soon as the litigation has concluded,' Lamberth said. Trump's order also directed the Bureau of Prisons to ensure that 'males are not detained in women's prisons,' but Lamberth blocked prison officials from transferring three incarcerated transgender women to men's facilities in February. The judge said there's no evidence Trump or prison officials considered the harm the new policies could do to transgender inmates. 'The defendants argue that the plaintiffs have not alleged irreparable harm because they are all currently receiving hormone medications. But it suffices to say that all three plaintiffs' access to hormone therapy is, as best the Court can tell, tenuous,' Lamberth said. Trump signed several orders rolling back protections for transgender people, ruling that the two 'immutable sexes' are 'not changeable.' The orders directed federal prisons along with shelters for migrants and rape victims to be segregated by sex. He also directed federal money to be no longer be used to fund 'transition services.' Transgender inmates were federally protected under the Barack Obama Administration, before Trump appealed the policy during his first term. Obama's policy was later reenacted under the Joe Biden Administration and Trump once again appealing it. The president also demanded officials use the term 'sex' rather than 'gender.' Federal agencies were urged to end funding to promote 'gender ideology' and protect against 'gender extremism.' contacted the Justice Department for comment. The Bureau of Prisons declined to comment.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Prisons can't ‘blindly submit' to Trump's ‘whims' by denying gender-affirming care to trans inmates, judge says
A federal judge has blocked Donald Trump 's administration from denying gender-affirming care to transgender inmates, dealing another blow to the president's executive order targeting incarcerated trans people. Ronald Reagan-appointed Judge Royce Lamberth, 81, said Trump's policy isn't based on any 'reasoned' analysis, adding that 'nothing in the thin record' from the government shows that the administration 'consciously took stock of — much less studied — the potentially debilitating effects' of stripping trans people of their healthcare. He also slapped down the government's arguments that courts should allow Trump to dictate how federal agencies are run by letting the 'democratic process' play out after the election. 'Democracy is not as simple as the defendants make it sound,' Lamberth wrote. Just as the president can issue an executive order telling agencies what to do, he must abide by the Administrative Procedure Act that governs how they operate, Lamberth said. 'If democratic self-governance means anything, it means giving effect to all duly enacted laws, including those — like the APA — that were enacted decades ago,' he wrote. 'It does not mean blind submission to the whims of the most recent election-victor.' Tuesday's ruling is the first among several court orders surrounding Trump's approach to trans inmates that blocks prison officials from carrying out his executive order altogether. Trump's order also ordered trans women from women's detention centers. Several lawsuits were filed to reverse the move. Trans women make up only a small fraction of the federal prison population in women's facilities — approximately 16 people, according to the Department of Justice. More than 2,230 trans inmates in federal facilities are detained in facilities that match their sex at birth, according to court filings. In his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order denying 'any medical procedure, treatment, or drug for the purpose of conforming an inmate's appearance to that of the opposite sex.' The policy also blocked trans inmates from buying clothing or commissary items that prison officials claimed are inconsistent with a person's sex at birth. Trump's far-reaching executive orders targeting trans people claim that an ideologically driven movement to 'deny the biological reality of sex' has a 'corrosive impact not just on women but on the validity of the entire American system.' Plaintiffs include two trans men and a trans woman who were denied hormone therapy as well as items such as chest binders, cosmetics and underwear. All three plaintiffs were diagnosed with gender dysphoria by Bureau of Prisons physicians, and prescribed hormone therapy, but those treatments were suspended under Trump's policy. The loss of hormone therapy for a trans woman who has been prescribed injections since 2016 caused her to experience 'anxiety, hopelessness, panic attacks, and suicidal ideation,' according to court filings. Trans men who were denied ongoing testosterone treatments said they feared their menstrual cycles would return. Plaintiffs argue Trump's policy violates the Eighth Amendment 's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. In his ruling, Lamberth said trans people receiving hormone treatments 'do not seem interested in propagating any particular 'ideology.'' Trans inmates rely on those treatments to 'lessen the personal anguish caused by their gender dysphoria, a benefit on which they have relied for years' under longstanding Bureau of Prisons policy, according to the judge. He wrote that the administration did not provide 'any serious explanation' why the policy should change, and the executive order doesn't make 'any effort whatsoever' to explain how — as the president includes in the order — gender-affirming care damages 'scientific inquiry, public safety, morale, trust in government.' 'This administration's cruelty towards transgender people disregards their rights under the Constitution,' said Corene Kendrick, deputy director of the ACLU 's National Prison Project. 'No person — incarcerated or not, transgender or not — should have their rights to medically necessary care denied,' added Shawn Thomas Meerkamper, managing attorney at the Transgender Law Center.
Forbes
6 hours ago
- Health
- Forbes
Judge Blocks Trump's Order On Trans Inmates
Federal prisons in the U.S. must provide hormone therapy and social accommodations for hundreds of transgender inmates, a judge ruled Tuesday, blocking an earlier executive order by President Donald Trump—an opponent of gender-affirming care—that prevented federal funds for their treatment. Trump issued an executive order blocking federal funds for 'the purpose of conforming an inmate's ... More appearance to that of the opposite sex.' Judge Royce Lamberth ruled neither the Bureau of Prisons nor Trump's executive order provided 'any serious explanation' as to why hormone therapy and social accommodations, including cosmetics and clothing that match the inmate's gender identity, should not be provided for more than 600 transgender inmates. Inmates who challenged Trump's order successfully argued their treatment is necessary to 'lessen the personal anguish' caused by their gender dysphoria, Lamberth said, noting the Bureau of Prisons did not dispute gender dysphoria could pose severe side effects, including anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. Shortly after his inauguration, Trump ordered the Bureau of Prisons to revise its medical care policies to be consistent with other federal policies recognizing only two sexes, male and female, by ensuring federal funds aren't used for any medical procedure, treatment or drug 'for the purpose of conforming an inmate's appearance to that of the opposite sex.' Trump's order also asked the Bureau of Prisons to make sure 'males are not detained in women's prisons,' with dozens of transgender women later moved to men's facilities, though Lamberth and other judges have challenged or blocked the transfer of some inmates. The Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 2,198. That's how many transgender inmates are within the federal prison system as of Feb. 20, 2025, according to Bureau of Prisons data obtained by NPR. Trump targeted gender-affirming care and the transgender community early in his second presidency. His executive order, which he argued would defend women from 'gender ideology extremism,' declared the federal government would recognize male and female as the only two sexes. Trump issued another executive order in late January that limited access to gender transition surgeries for people younger than 19, after he said the U.S. would 'rigorously enforce' laws that 'prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.' Trump's push against gender-affirming care follows a yearslong effort by dozens of states to bar or limit access. The U.S. military has asked transgender service members to voluntarily leave active-duty service by June 6, according to guidance issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. About 1,000 service members have disclosed being diagnosed with gender dysphoria and have agreed to leave, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement, though just over 4,000 transgender people serve in the military. Hegeth's guidance follows an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court, which said Trump could implement a ban on transgender people serving in the military.
CNN
7 hours ago
- Health
- CNN
Judge blocks Trump from cutting off gender-affirming care for federal inmates
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to continue providing gender-affirming medication for transgender inmates in federal prisons, dealing the latest blow to a multi-pronged effort by the president to pull back federal support for transgender health care. 'All parties seem to agree that the named plaintiffs do, in fact, need hormone therapy,' US District Judge Royce Lamberth wrote. The preliminary injunction from Lamberth means that officials within the Bureau of Prisons cannot enforce guidance the agency's leadership issued earlier this year implementing President Donald Trump's order, which directed the agency to revise its policies to 'ensure that no Federal funds are expended for any medical procedure, treatment, or drug for the purpose of conforming an inmate's appearance to that of the opposite sex.' Lamberth, an appointee of former President Ronald Reagan, said a group of transgender inmates who had been medically diagnosed with gender dysphoria and who challenged BOP's guidance implementing the president's order were likely to succeed on their claim that the agency violated federal rulemaking procedures. They will continue to receive drugs as prescribed, the judge said. 'Nothing in the thin record before the Court suggests that either the BOP or the President consciously took stock of—much less studied—the potentially debilitating effects that the new policies could have on transgender inmates before the implementing memoranda came into force,' Lamberth wrote in the 36-page ruling. 'The BOP may not arbitrarily deprive inmates of medications or other lifestyle accommodations that its own medical staff have deemed to be medically appropriate without considering he implications of that decision.' Though the case was originally brought by three transgender inmates, Lamberth agreed to certify a class that consists of all federal inmates who are currently taking hormone therapy medication to treat their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, defined as the psychological distress an individual feels when their gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. Not every transgender individual has gender dysphoria. There are currently about 1,000 people in federal custody who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Lamberth noted that the BOP was continuing to give more than 600 inmates their prescribed hormone therapy medications, despite Trump's prior order. The Justice Department had tried to explain how the BOP was acting differently than the order said they should, Lamberth noted. A federal government lawyer at a recent hearing 'argued that the BOP's policy is to provide hormone therapy to inmates as necessary to address medical needs other than 'conforming an inmate's appearance to that of the opposite sex,' such as to ameliorate anxiety, depression, or suicidality associated with gender dysphoria. Therefore, they argue, the BOP has the authority to provide not just some relief, but the very relief that the plaintiffs sought in their Complaint—to wit, restoration of their hormone therapy.' The case so far has highlighted the changing reality transgender inmates in federal prisons have faced since Trump took office in January. Three different inmates — Alishea Kingdom, Solo Nichols and Jas Kapule — sued because they had been receiving hormone therapy where they were held and also had gained access to some supplies, such as underwear and cosmetics, that would enable them to accommodate their genders. Kingdom is a transgender woman and was able to access feminine underwear and commissary items in addition to her hormone therapy medication, while Nichols and Kapule were able to have men's boxers and chest binders. The BOP stopped Kingdom's hormone therapy in February, causing her anxiety, hopelessness, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts, she told the court. But once she and the others filed the lawsuit, her hormone therapy was restored, Lamberth noted. Nichols similarly had his testosterone injections reduced in February, until the BOP reversed course and restored the full dosage by the end of that month, court filings say. Kapule never lost access to hormone therapy, according to the court records. The judge in the case decided the three inmates would suffer irreparable harm if he didn't step in with this ruling, according to his opinion. CNN has reached out to BOP for comment on the ruling.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Kari Lake brought back a skeleton crew to Voice of America. They're ‘angry most of the time'
While a federal appeals court appears to have given its blessing to the Trump administration's efforts to completely gut Voice of America, the bare-bones staff that Kari Lake brought back earlier this month has been wracked with low morale and confusion. 'I am angry most of the time I'm in there,' one staffer told Poynter this week. Back in March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA and its sister outlets, to reduce staffing down to the 'statutory minimum.' Lake, the failed Arizona politician who now serves as senior adviser overseeing the USAGM, subsequently laid off hundreds of contract employees and placed the rest of VOA's staff on indefinite leave. Following a series of lawsuits from VOA employees and executives, Lake was ordered by a district court judge last month to restore Voice of America and bring back its workforce. Additionally, the judge ruled that the administration needed to reinstate Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. 'Not only is there an absence of 'reasoned analysis' from the defendants; there is an absence of any analysis whatsoever,' Judge Royce C. Lamberth wrote. Earlier this month, however, a three-judge appellate court panel decided to freeze the lower court's injunction, saying it needed more time to consider the merits of the case. On Thursday, the full appellate court said it would not intervene at this time. 'We are devastated and concerned that this ruling might lead to further adverse reactions from the administration,' Patsy Widakuswara, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit and VOA's White House bureau chief for Voice of America, told The Independent about the appeals court decision. 'But our day in court is not over yet, and we are committed to fighting until we can return to our congressionally mandated right to broadcast factual, balanced, and comprehensive new.' After Lamberth's initial order to return Voice of America to the air and staff it back up, a small group of 30 employees – from a staff of 1300 workers on leave – was brought back by Lake earlier this month. In an article for Poynter, Liam Scott – VOA's press freedom reporter until he was placed on leave in March and informed he would be terminated this month – spoke to several of the staffers who returned this month and described the 'grim and confusing' atmosphere in VOA headquarters. 'People who are in there do not see this as some kind of hopeful return,' one employee told Scott. 'I am angry most of the time I'm in there… They can't credibly say that they haven't shut us down when zero people are working,' Prior to the president's executive order, VOA broadcast in 49 languages around the world to a weekly measured audience of roughly 360 million people, some of whom live in highly censored authoritarian states. Now, according to those at the pared-down network, Voice of America's content is only translated into Dari, Mandarin Chinese, Pashto and Persian. 'The amount of programming that's being produced is not a credible replacement for what was on air before,' a staffer said. 'We were a 24/7 news operation. Now we're a five-minutes-a-day, five-days-a-week operation,' another source added. 'We all know that this is not what this place is meant to be doing.' Voice of America's primary English-language newsroom, meanwhile, produces just one television segment and a handful of articles a day, which are then translated into the four different languages and published, according to Poynter. Notably, with press freedom experts expressing concern about Kremlin propaganda filling the airspace left vacant by VOA's absence, the network is not publishing in Russian in its current depleted state. At the same time, the small cohort that is currently working to produce what little VOA content they can is still following the network's charter, noting that they haven't received any editorial requests from USAGM since returning. Interestingly, despite Lake's recent announcement that VOA had partnered up with MAGA cable channel One America News to provide a news feed, Voice of America has yet to air any OAN content. 'No one's really in charge,' a staffer told Poynter, noting the lack of clear leadership at VOA right now. Mike Abramowitz, the network's director, remains on administrative leave. The Independent has reached out to Lake and the USAGM for comment. While fewer than three dozen employees man the ship, hundreds of other full-time VOA staffers remain on the sidelines and in limbo as they wait to hear from the administration about their fate. All the while, Lake has cut other 'frivolous expenditures' from VOA and its sister broadcasters. In March, for instance, she canceled the agency's contracts to carry reporting from wire services such as Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. The USAGM also reneged on a 15-year lease for new office headquarters – even though it actually saved the government more than $150 million. Though much of the network's full-time staff remains on administrative leave, such as Widakuswara, hundreds of others have already been told they are gone. Last week, Lake announced that 584 total employees were terminated across USAGM, the majority of whom came from VOA. 'We will continue to scale back the bloat at USAGM and make an archaic dinosaur into something worthy of being funded by hardworking Americans,' she told The Washington Post of the terminations before adding: 'Buckle up. There's more to come Widakuswara, meanwhile, bluntly described how she feels that Lake and the administration are treating the VOA staff at the moment. 'My assessment of the situation is that this is just more emotional terror that they're applying to us,' she told The Independent. 'There's no rhyme or reason why they're bringing people back and then kicking them out. To me, it feels like emotional terror to ensure obedience.'
