A federal judge has issued a significant ruling protecting transgender women in federal custody, blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to transfer them from women’s prisons into men’s facilities while a broader legal challenge continues. The decision marks the latest setback for the administration’s efforts to enforce policies stemming from President Donald Trump’s executive order recognizing only two sexes under federal law.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth granted a preliminary injunction covering 14 transgender women incarcerated in the federal prison system. The ruling prevents the Bureau of Prisons from transferring the women to men’s prisons under a policy that would house incarcerated individuals according to their sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity.
In his decision, Lamberth sharply criticized the government’s position, finding that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their constitutional claims. The judge noted that prison officials cannot justify creating known dangers for transgender prisoners and then claim they will address any harm after it occurs. The court found substantial evidence that the women could face heightened risks of violence, sexual assault, and psychological harm if transferred to men’s facilities.
The case stems from Executive Order 14168, signed shortly after Trump returned to office in January 2025. The order directed federal agencies to recognize sex as an immutable biological characteristic and prompted changes within the Bureau of Prisons affecting housing assignments and access to gender-affirming accommodations for transgender inmates.
Advocates for transgender prisoners have argued that the policy conflicts with longstanding safety protections established under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, which requires correctional facilities to consider individual vulnerability when making housing decisions. Civil rights organizations have repeatedly warned that placing transgender women in men’s prisons significantly increases the risk of abuse and victimization.
This is not the first time federal courts have intervened. Earlier rulings blocked transfers involving other transgender women and preserved access to certain forms of gender-affirming medical care while litigation proceeds. Several transgender inmates who were transferred under the new policies reportedly experienced harassment and threats before courts ordered corrective action.
The injunction applies only to the 14 plaintiffs in this case and does not create a nationwide ban on the policy. However, legal experts say the ruling signals continued judicial skepticism toward administration policies that place transgender people in situations where courts determine their safety may be jeopardized.
As challenges to multiple Trump administration policies affecting transgender Americans continue to move through the courts, this case underscores a central legal question: whether the federal government can prioritize ideological definitions of sex when doing so may expose vulnerable individuals to documented risks of harm.
