Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer
On Friday, a second federal judge paused President Trump’s executive order that halted federal support for gender-affirming care for transgender youth under the age of 19. U.S. District Court Judge Lauren King granted a temporary restraining order after Democratic attorneys in Washington state, Oregon, and Minnesota sued the Trump administration last week. Three doctors also joined the lawsuit, which was filed in the Western District of Washington.
This decision came one day after a federal judge in Baltimore, Judge Brendan Hurson, also temporarily blocked the executive order in response to a separate lawsuit. Hurson’s temporary restraining order will last 14 days but could be extended. This puts Trump’s executive order on hold as the case moves through the legal system.
Both Hurson and King were appointed by President Biden. Trump’s executive order, signed last month, halted federal funding for institutions providing gender-affirming care and directed federally run insurance programs—including Medicaid and TRICARE for military families—to exclude coverage. The order also called on the Justice Department to pursue litigation and legislation opposing such care.
