Breaking: Supreme Court Agrees to Review Tennessee Ban on Gender Transition Care

The Supreme Court has agreed to review a Tennessee law that prohibits gender transition care for individuals under 18. 

This case will mark the first time the justices address the constitutionality of such restrictions, which have been enacted in 23 states since 2021.

Transgender youth, their families, and medical providers requested the review after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upheld the Tennessee law, which bans transgender children from accessing puberty blockers and hormones. 

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti (R) celebrated the 6th Circuit’s ruling as “a big win for democracy.”

The Supreme Court has been considering whether to take up the Tennessee case for several months, indicating internal deliberations on how to proceed. The Court's decision to review the case comes amid ongoing debates about the legality of similar bans.

In a related development, the Supreme Court allowed Idaho to enforce its ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors while the issue is being litigated in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. 

This order temporarily exempted two transgender teens involved in the lawsuit but did not address the overall constitutionality of the ban.

Legal experts anticipated the Supreme Court's involvement due to the significance of the issue and the conflicting rulings from lower courts. 

While federal district courts remain divided, appeals courts have consistently upheld such bans. The 11th Circuit in Atlanta allowed an Alabama ban to take effect, and the 7th Circuit in Illinois temporarily permitted Indiana’s ban during ongoing litigation.

Despite these developments, the Supreme Court has recently ruled in favour of transgender rights in several cases, including the landmark 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which extended federal employment protections to LGBTQ+ workers. 

The Court has also declined to review cases where lower courts supported transgender rights in schools, prisons, and disability protections. Last year, the Court denied West Virginia’s request to enforce a law barring transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports teams at public schools while legal challenges were still underway.
Source: The Washington Post
Image: Chattanooga Times Free Press