The Washington State federal court has issued a preliminary order, blocking the executive order of President Donald Trump regarding minors transgender. The legal fight over the controversial order is intensified by this action.
Why this ruling matters
Lauren King, an honorable federal judge from Washington State, had granted previously a temporary restraint order in response to lawsuits brought by Democratic Attorneys-General of Washington, Oregon, Minnesota. This first temporary order was released a week before.
A similar injunction has also been issued in Baltimore by a federal court in response to another lawsuit filed by the families of children who are transgender or nonbinary. The temporary injunctions are the first step of a long legal battle to reverse the executive order.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The Executive Order: Key Features
Executive Order No. 14XXX issued on January 28, 2025 by the former president Trump was officially titled: “Protecting Children Against Chemical and Surgical Mutilation”.
This executive order is intended to limit access to care that affirms gender identity for minors who are transgender. It prohibits hormone therapy, such as androgen blocks, estrogens, testosterones, and progesterones, which are used to align an individual’s appearance with gender identity. This law prohibits any surgical procedure that aims to change an individual’s physical features to fit their gender identity.
The Executive Order also seeks a cutoff of federal funds to providers that provide transgender treatment to minors.
This executive order is halted by the preliminary injunction of Judge King, which was issued Sunday, 16th, February.
Judge King wrote a written ruling in which she argued the unconstitutionality of many parts of this order.
Regarding federal funding restrictions Judge King said that they “reach the limits of the president’s power under separation of powers”.
The executive order, she said, could criminalize doctors who provide gender affirming treatments to minors. She argued that it would be unconstitutional because “it purports to extend the scope of criminalized behavior in another federal law” and that “it trespasses outside the powers granted to the president under the Constitution.”
According to Judge King, these aren’t the only reasons why the Executive Order violates the Constitution. According to the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth Amendment, the federal government cannot treat people differently because they are transgender or sexist unless it serves significant governmental goals and has a direct relationship with achieving those objectives.
Reactions on the Ruling
Following the initial temporary restraining order, **Washington State Attorney General, Nick Brown,** posted on X (formerly Twitter) on February 14, stating: “A huge victory for Washington’s youth, the trans community, parents, and healthcare providers today when a federal judge granted our request to pause the president’s illegal order blocking funding for gender-affirming care. The providers can get back to serving our youth.”
Brown added, “I’m so proud of this team who put together this lawsuit.” The team spent long hours drafting it. They collected more than 100 comments from Washingtonians who were affected by this cruel executive order. And they won the case in court.
What happens next?
Trump’s administration now has the right to appeal.
Legal experts expect that the Trump administration would appeal to the federal circuit court. Due to the fact that there are multiple states involved in this legal case, it could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court, which will decide the issue of legality, constitutionality, and potential violations related equal protection laws. It is crucial to follow the court’s future decisions in alignment with *American civil rights* and *LGBTQ+ rights.*