The Supreme Court ruled on Monday to allow Idaho to enforce a statewide ban on gender transition medical procedures for minors, pending further litigation on the law.
The legislation, signed into law last April, prohibits transgender-identifying minors from undergoing surgical procedures until they reach adulthood. Additionally, the law banned puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender-identifying minors.
Physicians who perform such procedures could face felony charges, potentially resulting in up to 10 years in prison.
However, District Court Judge Lynn Winmill blocked the law from going into effect last December.
The Supreme Court’s ruling did not directly address the broader issue of transgenderism and transgender treatments. Instead, the focus was on whether it was appropriate for the lower court to block the statewide enforcement of the ban.
Idaho argued that the district judge had overstepped by preventing the law from being enforced statewide, contending that the injunction should have been limited only to the plaintiffs in the case.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court allowed the ban to remain in effect while legal proceedings unfold.
In the ruling, Justice Neil Gorsuch highlighted that the injunction issued by Winmill went beyond what was necessary to provide interim relief to the parties involved.
“Ordinarily, injunctions like these may go no further than necessary to provide interim relief to the parties,” Gorsuch wrote.
“In this case, however, the district court went much further, prohibiting a State from enforcing any aspect of its duly enacted law against anyone,” he continued. “Today, the Court stays the district court’s injunction to the extent it applies to nonparties, which is to say to the extent it provides ‘universal’ relief.”
Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador welcomed the decision, hailing it as a victory for protecting children.
“This is a BIG win to protect vulnerable kids!” Labrador said in a post on X.
“Our state has a duty to protect and support all children,” Labrador said. “I’m proud to defend Idaho’s law that ensures children are not subjected to these dangerous drugs and procedures.”
In the last year, the Supreme Court chose not to hear cases that involve transgender issues on multiple occasions. The recent ruling comes at a time when over 20 states have passed laws banning various forms of so-called gender-affirming care treatments for children.
