Federal Judge Blocks Florida’s Ban on Medical Care for Transgender Minors

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new Florida law that prohibits gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle in the northern district of Florida on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, in May. That law codifies rules banning medical care for transgender adolescents established by the state’s Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, including puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youth. 

Hinkle, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, said Florida banned treatments that are widely accepted by the medical community. 

“Florida has adopted a statute and rules that prohibit these treatments even when medically appropriate,” Hinkle said in his order. “The plaintiffs are likely to prevail on their claim that the prohibition is unconstitutional.”