BREAKING: The Trump administration’s anti-transgender efforts were stymied, again, in federal court on Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson issued a nationwide preliminary injunction on Tuesday blocking enforcement of two provisions in President Donald Trump’s anti-transgender executive orders.
Specifically, Hurson, a Biden appointee, blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the medical provider funding prohibitions in Trump's order seeking to restrict gender-affirming medical care for those under 19 and the "gender ideology" funding restriction in Trump’s Jan. 20 order purporting to define "sex."
Hurson had previously issued a temporary restraining order in the case. That was due to expire on Wednesday. Tuesday’s order now remains in place throughout the litigation, subject to any appeal or stay request from the Justice Department.
In Tuesday’s opinion, Hurson wrote, “As the Court previously explained, ‘this case presents a straightforward question regarding the separation of powers,’ and ‘clearly established precedent of the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit compels findings on Plaintiffs' discrimination-related claims.’ … Nothing presented to the Court since that finding disrupts this analysis. If anything, more recent filings by Plaintiffs only strengthen the case for the issuance of a preliminary injunction.“
Tuesday’s nationwide preliminary injunction from Hurson in Maryland followed last Friday's preliminary injunction from Judge Lauren King in Washington state against the same two provisions, along with a third provision. King’s injunction, however, only covered the four states that had sued there — Washington, Colorado, Minnesota, and Oregon.