Judge blocks DOJ bid for New York transgender patients’ medical records

A federal judge in New York has temporarily stopped the Justice Department from obtaining confidential medical records for transgender patients who received gender-affirming care as minors. The order limits an effort tied to President Donald Trump’s broader push to restrict transgender-related healthcare, Reuters and The Associated Press reported.

US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla issued the temporary restraining order on Wednesday after a hospital revealed it had received a Justice Department subpoena and patients and families sued in response, according to Reuters and AP. The order is set to remain in place for 14 days.

Failla said the subpoenas could violate patient privacy by seeking sensitive information without the affected patients’ permission. In her ruling, she wrote that the administration’s policies toward transgender people, “whether by accident or by design,” reflected an effort to gather private information about a class of people “without their knowledge or consent.”

The judge scheduled a July 8 hearing to decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction, Reuters and AP reported. Such an injunction would extend the block on Justice Department access to the records while the case proceeds.

Records sought through Texas grand jury

The subpoena for the New York records came from a grand jury in the Northern District of Texas, according to Reuters and AP. That federal court district has been viewed as a favorable venue for conservative legal causes.

Judges in several parts of the country have already blocked some of the nearly 20 subpoenas issued through the Texas court to doctors and clinics that provide transgender care, Reuters and AP reported. The New York order adds another limit on the department’s record-seeking effort.

The case follows a series of Trump administration actions targeting transgender protections. On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to recognize only two sexes, male and female, according to Reuters and AP.

On January 28, 2025, Trump signed a directive aimed at restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth. That order instructed the Justice Department to “prioritize investigations and take appropriate action to end” such care, Reuters and AP reported.

The administration also moved against transgender military service. In February 2025, the Pentagon issued a memo that effectively barred transgender personnel from serving, saying their gender was “incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary” for service, according to Reuters and AP.

Plaintiffs cite privacy concerns

Critics have described the administration’s actions as an attempt to stigmatize transgender people and undermine recognition of their identity, Reuters and AP reported. Failla used sharper language in her order, saying the administration had sought to “identify, to demonise, and ultimately to eradicate an entire population of transgender people.”

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at Lambda Legal, called the ruling “a victory for the basic privacy of our clients and all families like theirs across New York City.” Lambda Legal is an LGBTQ rights group representing plaintiffs in the case.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.