Administration facing lawsuits from various states over its actions restricting gender-affirming healthcare by Trump administration
In a significant legal move, 16 states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that the administration has acted illegally by pressuring doctors and children's hospitals to stop providing gender-affirming care to minors.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts on August 1, 2025, accuses the administration of using Executive Order 14187 and related Justice Department actions, including subpoenas, investigations, and threats of criminal and civil penalties, to undermine state laws protecting transgender youth’s access to medical care.
The plaintiffs argue that these federal actions create an impossible choice for healthcare providers: comply with unlawful federal pressure or violate state anti-discrimination laws that recognize gender-affirming care as medically necessary. As a result, hospitals and clinics in multiple states have shuttered or paused their gender-affirming care programs for minors despite state legal protections.
The lawsuit, which supports doctors and hospitals providing gender-affirming care for minors, challenges the administration’s campaign as violating the Tenth Amendment, exceeding statutory authority, and violating the Administrative Procedure Act. It seeks a court declaration that these federal directives are illegal and aims to block what the states describe as illegal federal interference aimed at restricting gender-affirming care nationwide.
Attorney General Letitia James of New York, who leads the coalition, stated that denying access to gender-affirming care costs lives, describing the federal actions as cruel and unlawful. The coalition highlights that major medical associations recognize gender-affirming care as medically necessary for some transgender youth, and denial of such care is linked to worsened mental health outcomes, including increased depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.
The lawsuit was filed against the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The DHHS is accused of issuing a guidance document that restricts Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care. The guidance document, issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), states that Medicaid will no longer cover gender-affirming surgeries for minors.
In a notable development, the federal judge's ruling, made in August 2020, temporarily blocked the implementation of the guidance document. The judge is currently reviewing the document.
The lawsuit is active in federal court, and the outcome could have far-reaching implications for transgender youth's access to gender-affirming care. The states and the District of Columbia argue that the guidance document violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and could potentially set a dangerous precedent for federal overreach in healthcare decisions.
[1] New York Times, "States Sue Trump Administration Over Transgender Health Care", August 1, 2025. [2] CNN, "16 States Sue Trump Administration Over Transgender Health Care Policy", August 1, 2025. [3] NPR, "States Sue Trump Administration Over Transgender Health Care", August 1, 2025. [4] Washington Post, "States Sue Trump Administration Over Transgender Health Care Policy", August 1, 2025.
The lawsuit filed by 16 states and the District of Columbia, as reported by the New York Times, CNN, NPR, and Washington Post, is challenging the Trump administration's actions in the arena of health-and-wellness and mental health, alleging illegal interference in gender-affirming care for minors. The lawsuit, which is supported by major medical associations, asserts that denial of such care can negatively impact the mental health of transgender youth, leading to increased depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Additionally, the lawsuit claims that the administration's actions in politics, through the use of Executive Order 14187 and related Justice Department measures, are in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.
