As related cases move closer to the U.S. Supreme Court, a federal judge on Tuesday declined to delay a dispute challenging Alabama’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
A request from the U.S. Department of Justice to postpone the Alabama case until appellate judges decide whether to hear related petitions on whether states may adopt such bans was denied by United States District Judge Liles Burke. Because “this extraordinary legal landscape is rapidly evolving,” the Justice Department requested the stay.
Burke stated in a letter that the case would proceed. If those requests are approved, he said a stay may be necessary in the future.
An appellate court ruling that allowed restrictions in Kentucky and Tennessee to remain in effect has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court by trans young people and their families. Families with trans children in Alabama have requested a full 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals review of a ruling that would have allowed the Alabama law to go into effect.
The Alabama case is expected to be tried in April.
Laws prohibiting or restricting gender-affirming treatment for adolescents have been passed by at least 22 states, and the majority of the restrictions are being challenged in court.
Doctors who administer puberty blockers or hormones to patients under the age of 19 to aid in establishing a new gender identity are now breaking the law in Alabama, where this can result in up to 10 years in prison. Until the 11th Circuit’s appeals court issues a decision in the case, the law is still prohibited by lawsuit.
