A Biden-appointed federal judge in Oregon issued a verbal ruling Thursday blocking a Trump administration HHS declaration that deemed transgender medical procedures for minors unsafe and ineffective. The decision sides with Democratic attorneys general who sued over the December 2025 policy from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
This ruling follows a December 2025 lawsuit filed by 19 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, challenging an HHS declaration issued by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The declaration stated that interventions like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, mastectomies, and vaginoplasties for minors 'fail to meet professionally recognized standards of health care' for gender dysphoria.
U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, appointed by President Biden, ruled from the bench that the Trump administration did not follow proper procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act. He criticized the approach, saying, 'The notion that “I will go forward and issue a declaration and see if we can get away with it” is not a principle of governance that adheres to the overarching commitment to a democratic republic that requires the rule of law to be regarded and respected and honored as a sacred.' A written decision is forthcoming.
New York AG Letitia James praised the outcome: 'Health care services for transgender young people remain legal, and the federal government cannot intimidate or punish the providers who offer them. It is my duty and my privilege to stand with trans New Yorkers and their families. I will always fight for the LGBTQ+ community.'
The case is part of broader Trump administration actions, including HHS rules excluding providers of such treatments for minors from Medicare and Medicaid, and barring coverage under Medicaid’s Children’s Health Insurance Program for those under 19.
