The Supreme Court took action following its recent ruling upholding a Tennessee ban on certain medical treatments for transgender youths.
The justices ordered appellate judges to reexamine cases from Idaho, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and West Virginia related to access to medical care and birth certificates.
The big picture: The court did not make any decisions in cases from Arizona, Idaho, and West Virginia concerning the participation of transgender students in school sports teams. A potential resolution on this issue could be announced by the court as early as Thursday.
- The appellate rulings that were overturned all found that the restrictions imposed by the states on transgender individuals violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution.
- In the Tennessee case specifically, the Supreme Court ruled that there was no constitutional violation in a state law that prohibited puberty blockers and hormone therapy for gender dysphoria treatment in people under 18.
- The justices instructed the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia to review its decision on the refusal of West Virginia and North Carolina to provide certain health care for transgender individuals through government-sponsored insurance, deeming it discriminatory.
- Additionally, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals will revisit a case from Idaho related to the state’s ban on specific surgical procedures for Medicaid beneficiaries, while the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals will reevaluate its ruling that blocked Oklahoma’s ban on changing gender markers on birth certificates.
