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15h ago

Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee Ban on Gender-Affirming Treatments for Minors

The decision preserves analogous laws in more than 20 states by deeming such care unworthy of heightened judicial review under the Equal Protection Clause.

People gather and react outside the U.S. Supreme Court on the day it heard arguments over an appeal by U.S. President Joe Biden's administration of a lower court's decision upholding a Republican-backed ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, in Washington, U.S., December 4, 2024. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: A member of the Capitol Police K-9 unit walks a dog in front of the U.S. Supreme Court is on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. On Monday, the Trump administration requested that the Supreme Court block a lower court's order stating that officials must return a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador to Maryland. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The Court sustained Tennessee’s Senate Bill 1, which bars puberty blockers and hormone therapies for transgender youth and exposes medical providers to fines and legal action.
  • Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the statute does not target a suspect class and therefore is not subject to heightened scrutiny under the Fourteenth Amendment.
  • Justices Sotomayor, Kagan and Jackson dissented, warning that the ban overrides medical expertise and endangers the mental health of transgender adolescents.
  • The American Civil Liberties Union represented families and a Memphis doctor in the challenge, initially supported by the Biden administration before the Trump administration reversed to defend the law.
  • With over 20 states enacting or considering similar restrictions, the ruling reinforces state authority over gender-affirming care and is likely to influence pending and future litigation nationwide.