The court rejects the administration’s emergency request, leaving restrictions on transition-related treatment and social accommodations blocked while the lawsuit continues.
The US Supreme Court on October 21 rejected the Justice Department’s emergency request to lift a lower-court order blocking restrictions on care for transgender people in federal custody. The Federal Bureau of Prisons remains barred from enforcing the restrictions while a lawsuit proceeds. The decision was not a final ruling on the policy’s legality.
The policy, introduced earlier in 2026 under President Donald Trump’s administration, would change longstanding federal prison practices. According to the plaintiffs, some prisoners have received hormone treatment in the federal system since at least 1992.
The challenged policy would prohibit medical and surgical treatments related to gender transition for people in federal custody. It would also restrict “social accommodations”, including access to clothing and hair-removal devices intended to help prisoners present themselves in a way that matches their gender identity.
Psychiatric care would remain available under the policy. The court’s refusal to intervene leaves the lower-court order blocking the treatment and accommodation restrictions in place.
Three transgender prisoners brought the class-action lawsuit, a case seeking relief on behalf of a wider group. Government lawyers defending the restrictions have characterized gender-transition medical treatment as “unproven sex-rejecting interventions”.
The plaintiffs warned in their legal filing that denying hormone therapy could increase depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and self-harm. They argued that allowing the restrictions to take effect would cause “immediate and catastrophic” harm.
The first National Security Strategy in two decades commits to deeper European cooperation as Canada and the European Union discuss closer ties.
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The lawsuit will continue to address the policy’s legality, with the lower-court order preventing enforcement during litigation.
Ukraine’s ombudsman plans food and medical aid for about 2,000 people in the Russian-occupied city on October 30, with mine clearance still under way.
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The change applies across pension schemes from 28 October 2026. Where the member died before 75 and had enough remaining allowance, delays beyond two years no longer make lump sums taxable.
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