Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to restrict some medical treatments for transgender inmates

Updated on: October 21, 2026 / 1:03 PM EDT / CBS News

Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to restrict some medical treatments for transgender inmates

TL;DR

  • The Supreme Court rejected an emergency appeal from the Justice Department seeking to enforce a new Bureau of Prisons policy.
  • The policy would have ended surgical and hormone therapy treatments, as well as social accommodations, for transgender inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
  • A district court and an appeals court had previously blocked the policy.
  • The Trump administration argued the policy was necessary for 'institutional security'.
  • Lawyers for the inmates stated the Bureau of Prisons has provided such treatments since 1992 and the new policy would affect nearly 1,000 inmates.