Supreme Court Keeps Block On Trump Policy Limiting Transgender Inmate Care
The Supreme Court refused to let the Trump administration immediately enforce a Bureau of Prisons policy that would limit gender-affirming care for transgender federal inmates on Wednesday, leaving a lower-court injunction in place.[1]
The application was first presented to the chief justice, referred to the full Court and denied; Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said they would have granted the stay.[1] The lawsuit, Kingdom v. Trump, covers about 1,000 Bureau of Prisons inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria; the ACLU says more than 2,000 people in BOP custody identify as transgender and about 800 class members were prescribed hormones.[1]
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth previously ordered that gender-affirming treatments continue, saying untreated gender dysphoria poses severe risks including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.[2] The revised BOP policy would halt gender-affirming surgeries, taper hormones and end social accommodations like makeup and wigs, and it draws directly on a Trump executive order barring federal funds to "conform an inmate's appearance." PBS
The administration argued the changes were needed to prevent security problems and to preserve fairness among inmates, in an emergency filing.[1] Court records show about 600 inmates were receiving hormone therapy in 2025, and the government has not identified specific security problems tied to such treatment over roughly 30 years.[2] For now, the injunction stays in place and the case will proceed in lower courts while litigation continues.[1]
Show source details & analysis (3 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the Supreme Court issued a brief order denying the Trump administration's emergency request to stay U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth's injunction blocking the Bureau of Prisons policy; the application was presented to the Chief Justice, referred to the full Court, and denied Supreme Court.
- The Court’s order noted that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito would have allowed the policy to take effect while litigation continues Supreme Court.
- The underlying lawsuit, Kingdom v. Trump, represents about 1,000 Bureau of Prisons inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria; the ACLU estimates more than 2,000 people in BOP custody identify as transgender and roughly 800 of the Kingdom class have been prescribed hormone therapy Kingdom v. Trump.
- The Trump administration's revised Bureau of Prisons medical policy would halt gender-affirming surgeries, taper off hormone therapy, and end social accommodations such as makeup and wigs while continuing mental health services BOP policy.
- The policy language traces to a Trump executive order directing that federal funds not be spent "for the purpose of conforming an inmate's appearance to that of the opposite sex" Trump executive order.
- Judge Royce Lamberth previously ordered that gender-affirming treatments continue, citing severe risks from untreated gender dysphoria including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts Judge Royce Lamberth.
- The Trump administration argued its emergency stay was needed over claimed security risks and "fairness" concerns that gender-affirming care could breed resentment, but court records say about 600 inmates were receiving hormone therapy in 2025 and the government has not identified specific security problems linked to such therapy over the roughly 30 years it has been provided court records.
- The Bureau of Prisons has treated people with gender dysphoria since at least 1992 and stopped publishing transgender inmate data after the Trump administration took office in 2025, now recording only male or female Bureau of Prisons.
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the Supreme Court issued a brief order refusing to let the Trump administration immediately enforce its revised Bureau of Prisons medical policy for transgender inmates.
- The Court’s order noted that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito would have allowed the policy to take effect while litigation continues.
- The article specifies the policy language came from a Trump executive order directing that federal funds not be spent "for the purpose of conforming an inmate's appearance to that of the opposite sex."
- It details that the new BOP policy would halt gender-affirming surgeries, taper off hormone therapy, and end social accommodations such as makeup and wigs, while continuing mental health services.
- Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, previously ordered that treatments continue, citing severe risks from untreated gender dysphoria, including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
- Court records cited in the article say about 600 inmates were receiving hormone therapy in 2025 and that the government has not identified specific security problems linked to such therapy over the 30 years it has been provided.
- On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the Supreme Court issued a brief order denying the Trump administration's emergency request to stay U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth's injunction blocking the Bureau of Prisons policy.
- The order notes that the application for stay was presented to the Chief Justice, referred to the full Court, and denied, with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito indicating they would have granted the stay.
- The article identifies the underlying case as Kingdom v. Trump and says it represents about 1,000 BOP inmates with a gender dysphoria diagnosis.
- ACLU attorney Li Nowlin-Sohl estimates that more than 2,000 people in BOP custody identify as transgender and that roughly 800 of the Kingdom class members have been prescribed hormone therapy, many also receiving social transition accommodations.
- The piece details the Trump administration's emergency stay arguments, including claimed security risks and "fairness" concerns that gender-affirming care would breed resentment among other inmates.
- The article notes BOP has treated people with gender dysphoria since at least 1992 and that the agency stopped publishing transgender inmate data after Trump took office in 2025, now recording only male or female.