A federal appeals court has dismissed a legal challenge to a Biden-era healthcare rule intended to prevent discrimination based on gender identity, effectively handing a victory to the state of Florida.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision comes after the Trump administration, which took office in January, reversed the previous administration’s course on the issue.
The legal battle stemmed from a rule issued by the Biden administration in May, which sought to interpret federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded healthcare programs to include discrimination based on gender identity. Florida swiftly filed a lawsuit, arguing the rule improperly sought to override state restrictions on transgender treatments, particularly those concerning minors, and threatened state healthcare program funding.
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U.S. District Judge William Jung granted Florida a preliminary injunction in July, halting the rule’s implementation within the state. He argued that Florida faced “imminent injury,” as state agencies and healthcare providers would be forced to choose between violating state law or the federal rule.
The Biden administration appealed the injunction, with federal lawyers filing a brief on January 2nd, asserting that the rule “properly recognizes that gender-identity discrimination is necessarily a form of sex discrimination.” The brief also attempted to clarify that the rule did not prohibit denying gender-affirming care based on “reasonable medical determinations,” but rather aimed to prevent denials rooted in “animus.”
However, following President Trump’s inauguration, the administration’s stance shifted. On February 18th, both Florida and the Trump administration requested an extension for filing briefs, citing “intervening executive orders” and the need for new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate the appeal. The request referenced executive orders titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” and “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.”
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On March 14th, federal government lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the appeal, which was granted by a three-judge panel of the appeals court on Thursday.
The dismissed rule and the preceding legal conflict highlight the ongoing tension between federal mandates and state laws regarding transgender healthcare. Florida, along with other Republican-led states, has enacted policies restricting or prohibiting treatments like hormone therapy and puberty blockers for individuals with gender dysphoria, particularly minors.
Florida argued the rule threatened to undermine these state-level restrictions and jeopardize state healthcare funding. The dismissal of the appeal effectively upholds the preliminary injunction, preventing the Biden-era rule from taking effect in Florida.
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