Overview

• District Judge Jackson Lofgren ruled the law does not violate the state constitution, finding it classifies by age and medical purpose rather than sex and showing no invidious intent by lawmakers.
• North Dakota’s statute, effective April 2023, makes prescribing puberty blockers or hormones to transgender minors a misdemeanor and performing related surgeries on minors a felony.
• The ruling leaves families who sought care after the law took effect to obtain treatment out of state, while affirming narrow exemptions for youths who began care before the ban.
• The court limited the lawsuit to pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Luis Casas after dismissing families’ claims because their children fell under the pre-ban treatment exemption.
• Following a seven-day trial and an 85-page order, Lofgren cited ongoing debate over safety and minors’ capacity to consent, aligning with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that states may ban such care for minors.