SCOTUS conservative majority appears ready to endorse Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for minors
CNN
The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard the Biden administration’s challenge to a transgender care ban in Tennessee. Listen to the audio live and follow here for the latest live news updates.
• The conservative majority on the Supreme Court appeared ready to endorse a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for minors after hearing arguments Wednesday on US v. Skrmetti — a case that could determine whether states can ban this type of care for trans children and teens. A decision is expected by July 2025. • During the arguments, Justice Ketanji Brown said she is “suddenly quite worried” and “nervous” about conservatives’ arguments in the controversy. The case, brought by the Biden administration on behalf of families of trans youth, challenges the constitutionality of Tennessee’s gender-affirming care ban, which restricts puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors and enacts civil penalties for doctors who violate the law. • The Tennessee law is among a growing number of state laws enacted in recent years targeting transgender care. Republican lawmakers who support the ban say decisions about care should be made after an individual becomes an adult. Opponents argue that in addition to violating the civil rights of trans youth, the laws also run afoul of parents’ rights to make decisions about their child’s medical care. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority expressed deep skepticism Wednesday about a challenge to a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for minors, with several key justices repeatedly questioning whether the thorny issues should be left to elected lawmakers to decide. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, another conservative who tends to be close to Roberts on high court, picked up on the concern that transgender care may not be a matter for courts to decide – a notion that would lean toward the Tennessee law being upheld. “Why isn’t it best to leave it to the democratic process?” Kavanaugh asked.
