Supreme Court hands Trump a rare loss on transgender prison care policy

CNN · NBC News, NBC News and MS NOW report that the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused, in an unexplained order, to let the Trump administration enforce a Bureau of Prisons policy curtailing care for transgender inmates, an uncommon setback for the president. NBC News and MS NOW add that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito would have sided with the administration.

The policy would allow inmates with gender dysphoria psychotherapy and psychiatric services but not hormones, surgery or social accommodations. NBC News says about 1,000 inmates are affected, including plaintiffs Alishea Kingdom, Jas Kapule and Solo Nichols, who have taken hormones for years. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth halted the policy as "arbitrary and capricious"; a divided appeals panel left his injunction in place.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued the prison system weighed its past experience and found security and administration problems. The American Civil Liberties Union replied, according to CNN · NBC News, that no security incident tied to the treatment had been identified in 30 years. NBC News notes the government cites doubts among medical professionals, which advocates sharply dispute.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN · NBC News, NBC News and MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN · NBC News → Also at NBC News → Also at MS NOW →