Second Federal Judge Blocks Trump Order Limiting Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

Judges in Washington and Maryland issue temporary restraining orders against the executive action as legal challenges intensify.

A federal judge in Seattle temporarily halted President Trump's executive order restricting federal support for gender-affirming care for minors under 19, following a similar ruling in Maryland a day earlier.
The executive order, signed in late January, threatens federal funding for institutions providing gender-affirming care and directs Medicaid and TRICARE to exclude coverage for such treatments.
The lawsuits argue the order violates constitutional protections, including equal rights and the separation of powers, and infringes on states' rights to regulate medical practices.
The Trump administration defends the order as a measure to protect children from treatments it claims lack sufficient evidence of efficacy and carry potential risks.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on the constitutionality of state-level bans on gender-affirming care, a decision that could have far-reaching implications.