
The US Supreme Court allows the state to implement its controversial 2023 law while legal challenges continue.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that Idaho can enforce its 2023 law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, even as legal challenges to the legislation remain ongoing. The court’s decision, issued on Monday, permits the state to proceed with a law that imposes severe penalties on healthcare providers—up to 10 years in prison—if they administer hormone treatments, puberty blockers, or other forms of gender-affirming care to individuals under 18.
This order overturns previous decisions by lower courts, including a federal judge in Idaho who had previously blocked the law to protect transgender youths. Despite the ruling, the two transgender teens who filed the lawsuit challenging the ban will still be able to receive gender-affirming care, as stipulated by the court’s decision.
In dissent, the court’s three liberal justices expressed their opposition to lifting the block on the law, arguing that the ban should remain suspended during the legal proceedings.
The controversial law remains subject to further legal scrutiny, and the final outcome will depend on future court rulings.