Federal courts uphold restrictions on transgender medical care for minors

Federal courts have issued rulings supporting state-level restrictions on gender-related medical procedures for minors in Florida and Indiana.

A federal appeals court cleared Florida to proceed with a lawsuit against the American Academy of Pediatrics. The legal action, led by Attorney General James Uthmeier, alleges the organization violated state law through policies supporting gender-related medical treatments for minors. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals removed a previous order that had temporarily blocked the lawsuit.

In Indiana, a federal judge upheld a state law that prohibits hormone replacement therapies, puberty blockers, and surgeries for minors. The ruling follows a challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The court dismissed the ACLU's claims with prejudice, effectively ending the legal challenge to the statute. This follows a previous 7th Circuit decision and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti, which held that such state laws do not violate the 14th Amendment.