Judge rules federal prisons must continue providing hormone therapy to transgender inmates
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said a federal law prohibits prison officials from arbitrarily depriving inmates of medications and other lifestyle accommodations that its own medical staff has deemed to be appropriate.
The judge said the transgender inmates who sued to block Trump's executive order are trying to lessen the personal anguish caused by their gender dysphoria, which is the distress that a person feels because their assigned gender and gender identity don't match.
'In light of the plaintiffs' largely personal motives for undergoing gender-affirming care, neither the BOP nor the Executive Order provides any serious explanation as to why the treatment modalities covered by the Executive Order or implementing memoranda should be handled differently than any other mental health intervention,' he wrote.
The Bureau of Prisons is providing hormone therapy to more than 600 inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The bureau doesn't dispute that gender dysphoria can cause severe side effects, including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, the judge said.
The Republican president's executive order required the bureau to revise its medical care policies so that federal funds aren't spent 'for the purpose of conforming an inmate's appearance to that of the opposite sex.'
Lamberth's ruling isn't limited to the plaintiffs named in the lawsuit. He agreed to certify a class of plaintiffs consisting of anyone who is or will be incarcerated in federal prisons.
Trump's order also directed the federal Bureau of Prisons to ensure that 'males are not detained in women's prisons.' In February, however, Lamberth agreed to temporarily block prison officials from transferring three incarcerated transgender women to men's facilities and terminating their access to hormone therapy.
American Civil Liberties Union.
Ronald Reagan in 1987.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Hillary Clinton allegedly approved plan to smear Trump in 2016
Congress released a previously classified intelligence report claiming that Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign likely 'ginned up' the Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy and wanted the FBI 's help. The Senate Judiciary Committee, under Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released a 29-page classified file from former Special Counsel John Durham's 'Russiagate' investigation on Thursday. The heart of the explosive allegation: That the Obama administration and the Clinton campaign were aware of - and potentially coordinated - a plan to falsely tie Donald Trump to Russia , a chief U.S. rival. Durham examined the FBI's investigation into potential links between Trump campaign officials and Russia during the 2016 election and concluded the FBI should have not launched the investigation given the evidence it had at the time. The report authored by the special counsel, released publicly for the first time today, shows potential election interference from another country regarding Clinton, false FBI reports to surveil the 2016 Trump campaign and the FBI's failure to investigate Clinton's ties to the Russia collusion allegations, like the infamously debunked Steele Dossier. A March 2016 memorandum stated that in part 'Clinton staff, with support from special services, is preparing scandalous revelations of business relations between Trump and the 'Russian mafia.'' 'Based on the Durham annex, the Obama FBI failed to adequately review and investigate intelligence reports showing the Clinton campaign may have been ginning up the fake Trump-Russia narrative for Clinton's political gain, which was ultimately done through the Steele Dossier and other means,' Grassley, 91, said in a statement. 'History will show that the Obama and Biden administration's law enforcement and intelligence agencies were weaponized against President Trump,' the senator continued. 'This political weaponization has caused critical damage to our institutions and is one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history. According to sources, the annex was among files stuffed in 'burn bags' that were due to be destroyed before recently being rescued by FBI employees. A person familiar with the discovery speculated to the Daily Mail that it was likely an oversight by previous directors that prevented the documents from being destroyed. The person added that it's likely the documents would have never seen the light of day if the FBI wasn't diligently looking through everything it comes across at the bureau. Within the pages of the annex are private communications between Clinton staff and workers at a George Soros nonprofit cooking up a plan to tie Trump to Russia to distract from scrutiny over the Hillary email server scandal. Leonard Benardo, Senior Vice President of Soros' Open Society Foundations, sent emails to top Clinton staffers that showed Hillary Clinton herself approved of the Trump-Russia plan. That plan included the FBI working on behalf of Clinton, according to Benardo's emails. 'Julie [Clinton Campaign Advisor] says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump,' one of his emails disclosed in the Durham annex states. 'Now it is good for a post-convention bounce. Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire.' Durham later wrote that Julie Smith, the campaign advisor, 'was, at minimum, playing a role in the Clinton campaign's efforts to tie Trump to Russia.' The emails 'certainly lends at least some credence that such a plan existed,' Durham said. Donald Trump's CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently suggested that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other top Obama aides could be hit with perjury charges over the annex. A spokesperson for Clinton did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. A spokesperson for the Obamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment either. Ratcliffe said that Obama officials involved with the 'Russia hoax' - the debunked narrative that Russia interfered with the 2016 election on behalf of Donald Trump 's campaign - could be prosecuted. The dossier, a 2016 opposition research file crafted by former MI6 spy Christoper Steele against then-candidate Trump, was a central - and largely debunked - component of the FBI's 'Russiagate' investigation. Ratcliffe has also noted that former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan could still be hit with charges, including lying to Congress. has also noted that former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan could still be hit with charges, including lying to Congress. 'They conspired against President Trump, they conspired against the American people,' the CIA director said. 'So, I'll leave it to Pam Bondi and our DOJ and Kash Patel and our FBI to investigate the conspiracy to do what, and what charges that they're capable of bringing.' However, some critics have slammed Ratcliffe for not releasing 'Russiagate' documents when he served as director of national intelligence during Trump's first term. 'Can anyone explain why John Ratcliffe, who held the same position as Tulsi (DNI) under Trump, totally failed to identify the Russian collusion coup hoax against Trump and was then promoted by Trump to head the CIA,' podcast host Clint Russell wrote on X. Last week, DNI Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents that she claims show how Obama-era intelligence officials 'manufactured and politicized intelligence to lay the groundwork.' She released a September 2020 report by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. The file disputes the claim that Russia interfered with Trump's first election on behalf of the Republican.
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
New questions raised about Epstein jail cell death after fresh review of full video reveals mystery ‘orange shape'
A mysterious 'orange shape' seen on surveillance footage near Jeffrey Epstein 's cell before his death has caused forensic experts and Justice Department officials to clash over what – or who – it may be. In the Bureau of Prisons video obtained and reviewed by CBS News, a shadowy figure moved towards the sex offender's cell block in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center at about 10.40 p.m. on August 9, 2019, just hours before Epstein was found hanged. According to a report by the DOJ's Office of Inspector General, the orange blob is believed to be a correctional officer 'carrying linen or inmate clothing' up the stairs to the convicted sex trafficker 's tier. Forensic video analysts who reviewed the footage as part of the news network's investigation argued that the figure could just as easily have been a person wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, and not just carrying it. 'Based on the limited video, it's more likely it's a person in an [orange] uniform,' according to Conor McCourt, a retired sergeant for the New York City Police Department and forensic video expert. The experts' analysis challenges the DOJ and the FBI 's claim that no one could have entered Epstein's cell and that the financier died by suicide. The FBI claimed that surveillance cameras would have captured anyone entering the special housing unit or Epstein's tier on video. However, the experts contest that the camera does not cover the main entrance of the unit, the staircase in full leading to Epstein's cell, or his cell door. 'To say that there's no way that someone could get to that — the stairs up to his room — without being seen is false,' video forensics expert Jim Stafford concluded. CBS News said that four other leading forensics experts interviewed 'concurred' with Stafford's analysis. Earlier this month, the DOJ and FBI said they released 11 hours of 'full raw' surveillance footage from inside the jail. Experts have also cast doubt on that claim in an effort to undermine conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein's suicide. The presence of a cursor and on-screen menu indicates that it was likely a screen capture rather than the raw footage exported directly from the prison's digital video recorder system. Both experts agreed the video was unlikely to have been an export of the raw footage and that, instead, it appears to be two separate segments stitched together. Stafford, who analyzed the video's metadata, said it showed the file was first created on May 23 of this year and was not from 2019. The Office of the Inspector General addressed the theories raised by CBS in a statement to the network. 'The OIG appreciates the careful review of our report,' it said. 'Our comprehensive assessment of the circumstances over the weeks, days, and hours before Epstein's death included the effects of the longstanding, chronic staffing crisis in the BOP and the BOP's failure to provide and maintain quality camera coverage within its facilities.' 'As CBS notes, nothing in its analysis changed or modified the OIG's conclusions or recommendations,' the statement concluded. CBS News's report is the latest in a growing list of unresolved questions surrounding the video, as scrutiny over the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein investigation intensifies. Earlier this month, an analysis by Wired challenged the administration's claims that the footage was unedited. Forensic experts who worked with the magazine to analyze the metadata embedded in the video concluded that the footage had been 'modified,' most likely using Adobe Premiere Pro editing software. Professor Hany Farid, a digital forensics and misinformation expert at UC Berkeley, told Wired that the footage would not be considered valid evidence in court. Farid questioned why the aspect ratio 'suddenly' shifts. Attorney General Pam Bondi had already faced backlash after one minute of footage appeared to be missing from the jail video capturing Epstein's final hours. A digital clock visible on the bottom left corner of the footage jumps from 11:58:58 p.m. to 12:00:00 a.m. Bondi blamed an outdated recording system that produced the video, claiming it resets every day at midnight and skips the same minute each evening.
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Terrified boy savagely beaten by THREE football player bullies at Christian summer camp while fourth filmed
A student athlete was filmed being savagely beaten by three football players while taking part in a Christian summer camp. The horrific ordeal, which has gone viral online, occurred during a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) camp at Presbyterian College in South Carolina on July 7. According to lawyers representing the boy, the perpetrators were DW Daniel High School football players - whose friends also recorded the punch-up. Their football coach, Chris Stone, has been put on leave following the fight. Several students have been criminally charged over the gory attack, the school board announced, without providing further details. Daily Mail has contacted Pickens County Sheriff's Office for further details. In the frightening footage, the victim was punched in the face by one individual before another person attacked him inside a dorm room. The unnamed boy was pushed onto the bed by the two, who continued to assault him. The young man attempted to block their punches with his hands. He was then pushed out of frame as one individual said, 'I got to get in here', before they joined in with the beatdown. While the three carried out the attack, another could be seen filming it. The group then backed away from the boy before one returned to punch him in the head. As the three left the room, one of them said: 'Don't even get up', as another added: 'Watch your s*** next time, you know we are not the same n****.' In a statement to Malarkey News, the boy said his attackers had accused him of using racial slurs prior to the assault, which he has denied. He said the attack left him with a 'serious' concussion, and bruises across his head and ribcage. He added that he is no longer able to participate in combat sports. The law firm representing the boy said the camp was a school-sanctioned event with the FCA renting out the campus when the incident took place. In a statement earlier this week, the Pickens County School District Board of Trustees said that several DW Daniel High students were criminally charged after the fight. They said: 'The full Board of Trustees of the School District of Pickens County was made aware late last week that a very serious incident occurred at a school sponsored football camp at Presbyterian College earlier this month. 'Board members have now seen the disturbing video that is circulating on social media. 'This incident, which involved numerous student athletes, resulted in the injury of one student and criminal charges for several students.' It added: 'This matter is serious, not acceptable, and is being addressed by the administration and law enforcement. 'According to the statement all of those involved are minors, and that they are all facing disciplinary action at school and athletic levels. 'The Board is appalled that this serious incident occurred and that a student was injured during a school-sponsored event.' The football coach of the Daniel High School team Chris Stone has also been placed on administrative paid leave as the district conducts an investigation. Stone was brought in to lead the team in April of this year, with the victim saying in his statement that Stone was inside the building at the time. 'Multiple teammates were coming in and out while I was trapped in my room, but nobody thought to get a coach', the boy said. In a statement, 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo said his office was aware of the fight and was monitoring the situation. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes said that the behavior of those captured on their camp 'falls unacceptably short of our standards'. The law firm said they released the footage in hopes of other people coming forward with information that could help the investigation.
