Judge Temporarily Blocks Idaho’s Ban On Transgender Youth Health Care

The law banning gender-affirming health care for Idaho’s minors was set to go into effect in a matter of days.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of an Idaho law banning transgender health care for minors on Wednesday, just days before it was set to go into effect.

The law, which the state’s Republican Gov. Brad Little signed in April, bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy. It also bans gender-affirming surgeries for minors, though there’s no evidence of those taking place in Idaho.

Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled Wednesday that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was right to ask for an injunction blocking the law until its lawsuit on behalf of two Idaho families impacted by the ban is decided, saying it had “shown a strong likelihood of success” in proving the state had violated the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.

“Time and again, these cases illustrate that the 14th Amendment’s primary role is to protect disfavored minorities and preserve our fundamental rights from legislative overreach,” Winmill wrote in his decision. “That was true for newly freed slaves following the Civil War. It was true in the 20th century for women, people of color, inter-racial couples, and individuals seeking access to contraception. And it is no less true for transgender children and their parents in the 21st century.”

The law was set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2024.