Federal judge rules Kennedy overstepped legal authority on care for transgender minors

A federal judge in Oregon ruled Thursday that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. overstepped his legal authority last year when he declared healthcare providers who give gender-transition medical treatments to minors fail to meet "professionally recognized standards.” 

A coalition of 21 Democratic-led states sued the Trump administration over the declaration, claiming it interfered with their power to regulate the practice of medicine within their own borders in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.

U.S. District Court Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, ruled that Kennedy had not followed normal procedures before publishing the declaration, according to the New York Times.

“The notion that ‘I will go forward and issue a declaration and see if we can get away with it’ is not a principle of governance that adheres to the overarching commitment to a democratic republic that requires the rule of law to be regarded and respected and honored as sacred,” the judge ruled.

Attorneys for the Trump administration argued in their brief that Kennedy's declaration was comparable to an opinion piece and was not legally binding.

“Secretary Kennedy, just like anyone else, is entitled to articulate his opinion on the safety and efficacy of emerging and controversial medical practices,” the lawyers wrote.

The administration also argued that no states had been harmed by the declaration because no providers of gender-transition care have been barred from receiving Medicare and Medicaid so far.

The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.