Montana Judge Temporarily Blocks Ban on Transgender Identity Document Changes

The ruling halts enforcement of policies restricting transgender residents from updating sex designations on birth certificates and driver’s licenses while legal challenges continue.

District Judge Mike Menahan issued a preliminary injunction against Montana’s rules preventing transgender people from changing the sex designation on their birth certificates and driver’s licenses.
The lawsuit, filed by two transgender women, argues that the policies violate constitutional rights to privacy and equal protection under the law.
The court ruled that discrimination against transgender individuals based on their status also constitutes sex-based discrimination.
State officials defended the restrictions by citing the need for accurate statistical records and arguing that sex is binary and cannot be changed, though these arguments were rejected by the judge.
The policies will remain blocked while the case proceeds, with broader implications for transgender rights and legal protections in Montana and beyond.