Supreme Court skeptical of challenge to Tennessee ban on transgender youth treatments
The conservative-majority Supreme Court dives into the culture war issue of transgender rights as it weighs whether states can restrict gender transition care for minors.
WASHINGTON — The conservative-majority Supreme Court on Wednesday leaned toward upholding a Tennessee law that restricts gender transition treatments for minors in a significant case about transgender rights.
It did not appear based on a lengthy oral argument that conservative justices believed the law constitutes a form of sex discrimination that would mean courts have to give it close scrutiny. The court’s three liberal justices all appeared to view the law as classifying people by sex.
LGBTQ Pride flag in front of the Supreme Court on June 26, 2023.Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images fileThe court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, is considering a challenge to the recently enacted law brought by the Biden administration and transgender teens and their families.
The state measure, which was enacted last year, bars gender transition surgery for minors, as well as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The surgery ban is not at issue in the Supreme Court case after a lower court judge said the plaintiffs did not have legal standing to challenge it.
No matter how the court rules, it will have a broad impact, as more than 20 other states have passed laws similar to Tennessee’s.
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