PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A federal court has halted the Trump administration’s broad request for private medical records of transgender youth from Rhode Island’s primary hospital offering gender-affirming treatment to minors.
U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy issued the Wednesday decision, marking another legal defeat for the Department of Justice after at least seven additional federal courts have moved to block or restrict the wide-ranging civil subpoenas issued to over 20 medical providers and hospitals last summer.
McElroy’s ruling reflected similar judicial concerns about the broad nature of the subpoenas, noting that while the Justice Department possesses “immense prosecutorial authority and discretion,” it can no longer be trusted to wield that power fairly and honestly.
“DOJ has proven unworthy of this trust at every point in this case,” McElroy wrote.
The Department of Justice was contacted for comment on Thursday via email.
The subpoenas required Rhode Island Hospital to surrender birth dates, Social Security numbers and home addresses of all patients who underwent transgender treatment during the previous five years. Additional demands included documentation of negative side effects in minor patients receiving gender-related treatment, evaluations used to justify prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapy, plus patient intake paperwork and parental consent forms.
The Justice Department has consistently maintained that the requested information is necessary to probe potential fraud or improper off-label drug promotion. During recent Rhode Island court proceedings, the DOJ stated the investigation originates from the Northern District of Texas, where the chief judge had ordered Rhode Island Hospital’s compliance before McElroy’s ruling invalidated the subpoena.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brantley Mayers informed McElroy during proceedings that the DOJ is examining possible “misbranding” of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medications, including puberty blockers for youth. Though off-label prescribing remains legal, Mayers explained the DOJ suspects pharmaceutical companies may be offering “financial incentives” to Rhode Island physicians for prescribing these medications.
The subpoenas were essential for obtaining children’s and families’ identities to enable DOJ interviews.
McElroy dismissed this reasoning.
“The administration has publicly characterized gender-affirming care for minors as abuse, directed the DOJ to bring its practice to an end, and celebrated when hospitals curtailed such programs as a result of this subpoena campaign,” McElroy wrote.
The Rhode Island ruling represents the newest chapter in the battle over transgender youth medical records. This week, 11 families initiated a class-action lawsuit aimed at preventing the DOJ from accessing the documents. Filed in Maryland’s federal court, the lawsuit represents families with transgender children who received treatment from hospitals nationwide.
Additionally, a New York medical facility disclosed receiving a grand jury subpoena from federal prosecutors in Texas requesting data about children who underwent gender-affirming treatment and their medical providers.
NYU Langone became the first hospital system to publicly confirm receiving such a subpoena as part of a federal criminal probe. The institution revealed Tuesday it was among multiple facilities that received subpoenas from the Northern District of Texas on May 7, stating it was determining its response strategy.
Gender-affirming treatment encompasses various medical and mental health services supporting an individual’s gender identity, particularly when it differs from their birth-assigned sex. Services may include counseling, puberty-blocking medications, hormone therapy for physical changes, or surgical procedures to modify chest and genital areas, though surgeries are uncommon for minors.
Leading medical organizations emphasize the importance of treatment access for individuals with gender dysphoria and recognize gender as existing on a spectrum.
A minimum of 27 states have enacted legislation restricting or prohibiting such care for minors, while several others have implemented laws or policies safeguarding transgender healthcare access.
