The Supreme Court Upholds Preliminary Injunction in Kingdom v. Trump, Allowing Trans Inmates to Continue Receiving Critical Healthcare as Case Moves Through the Courts

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s preliminary injunction in Kingdom v. Trump, blocking Trump’s executive order that prohibits the federal Bureau of Prisons from providing transition-related medical care to transgender incarcerated people in federal facilities while the case moves through the courts. 

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson released the following statement:  

“Today, trans people in federal prisons can keep getting the care they need. Denying access to critical medical care for incarcerated people simply because they are trans is discriminatory, cruel and flies in the face of our Eighth Amendment protections. Trump and MAGA extremists are obsessed with targeting our community and undermining access to essential healthcare, defying the recommendations of every major medical association in the country. This decision protects incarcerated trans people from the administration’s attempt to steamroll over constitutional rights for now, but the fight to uphold the dignity and respect our community deserves is far from over.” 

Details of the Case: 

Kingdom v. Trump challenges an executive order issued earlier this year by Trump prohibiting the federal Bureau of Prisons from providing transition-related medical care for incarcerated transgender people in federal prisons and detention centers. The executive order also mandated the transfer of transgender women held in federal facilities to men’s facilities. With support by the ACLU, the ACLU of DC and the Transgender Law Center, the class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of three transgender inmates, arguing that the executive order violates the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment protections against “cruel and unusual punishments” by denying access to medically-necessary healthcare. In June of this year, the plaintiffs were granted a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of the executive order by a federal district court judge — which has now been upheld. The case will continue to be adjudicated in the District Court for the District of Columbia.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, with 4 million members and supporters. The HRC Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) works to ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe, seen and supported where it matters most: at school, at work and in every community across the country. From the courtroom to the classroom, from Congress to corporate America, HRC and the HRC Foundation build power through partnerships, storytelling, and action—working to create a future rooted in equity, freedom and belonging for all LGBTQ+ people.