A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from transferring 14 transgender women in federal custody to men’s prisons, ruling that the women are likely to succeed in their legal challenge against the policy.
The decision, issued on Sunday, 7 June, prevents the Federal Bureau of Prisons from enforcing part of President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order requiring incarcerated people to be housed according to their sex assigned at birth.
In a strongly worded ruling, US District Judge Royce C. Lamberth found that each of the 14 plaintiffs had shown a substantial risk of serious harm if transferred to men’s facilities.
The court cited evidence that the women, many of whom have undergone gender-affirming medical treatment and have histories of sexual assault, self-harm or other vulnerabilities, could face heightened risks of violence, sexual assault and psychological trauma if moved.
Lamberth rejected the government’s argument that low assault rates at the proposed facilities resolved those concerns. He wrote that the central issue was whether the women faced unique dangers because of their specific circumstances.
The judge also criticised the administration’s position that any resulting harm could simply be treated after the fact.
“It is fundamentally unreasonable for prison officials to respond to serious risks such as mental health deterioration, self-harm, and suicide by intentionally creating those risks and offering to treat them after they predictably occur,” he wrote.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by 16 states and Washington, DC, challenging federal efforts to restrict protections for transgender people.
While the injunction applies only to the 14 women involved in this case, LGBTQ+ advocates have welcomed the decision as a significant legal victory.
Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Centre for LGBTQ Rights, said the ruling reinforces a fundamental constitutional principle.
“This decision reaffirms a bedrock constitutional principle: the government cannot knowingly place people in grave danger and simply look the other way.”
The case now continues as part of the broader legal fight over transgender protections under the Trump administration’s 2025 executive order.
