Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow prison gender-care restrictions

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to let it enforce restrictions on gender-affirming care in federal prisons while a lawsuit continues. Lower courts blocked the policy, and U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered the government to continue providing care such as hormone therapy.

The policy, adopted after an executive order, halts surgeries, hormone treatments and social accommodations such as wigs, while allowing mental health therapy to continue. The government argues the policy was properly adopted and that Lamberth overstepped. The Bureau of Prisons said in 2025 it was providing hormone therapy to more than 600 inmates.

Lamberth wrote that the bureau does not dispute gender dysphoria can cause severe effects, including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. ACLU attorneys for the inmates said the restrictions threaten their well-being and rights. The administration asked the Supreme Court to freeze Lamberth’s order as the lawsuit proceeds.