Judge blocks Trump admin's transgender passport policy
Share this @internewscast.com

President Donald Trump, right, talks with reporters as Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens upon arriving at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., on the way to Camp David, Md., Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The Trump administration has been prohibited from implementing its proposed changes to sex marker designations on United States passports for many transgender individuals.

U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick of Massachusetts prevented the State Department from enforcing two modifications to its passport policy regarding sex markers. Transgender passport applicants were previously allowed to self-select male (M) or female (F) based on their gender identity or opt for a third option labeled “X.” However, under the new Trump administration, the State Department has mandated that passports reflect the person’s assigned sex at birth, and the “X” option was eliminated.

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

The State Department and its secretary, Marco Rubio, acted in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump, in which he wrote, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female,” and demanded the executive branch “enforce all sex-protective laws to promote this reality.”

In April, Kobick granted a preliminary injunction barring the State Department from implementing the passport policy for six people who joined the American Civil Liberties Union in a lawsuit challenging the executive order. On Tuesday, the injunction was expanded to include people who do not have a valid passport, whose passport expires within one year, who need to make changes to their passport so that the “sex designation align[s] with their gender identity or to reflect a name change,” and whose passports were lost, damaged, or stolen.

The Trump administration had argued that the influx of new passport applications would hamper the State Department’s functioning.

Kobick, a Joe Biden appointee, found this argument to be too thin. She wrote the government “has not offered evidence of the number of additional applications from such individuals it anticipates receiving.” The judge noted the administration has not “identified any specific ways in which the burden associated with processing additional passport applications is likely to impede the State Department’s functioning.”

“That burden, consequently, is too ill-defined and speculative to shift the balance of the equities,” Kobick said.

The administration also argued that its inability to make the passport changes would negatively affect its standing with foreign countries.

But Kobick once more found there to be insufficient evidence to prove this claim. “[The government] has not identified any specific ways in which an injunction requiring the State Department to issue passports bearing sex designations with which it disagrees is likely to injure the Executive Branch’s relations with foreign sovereigns,” she wrote.

Finally, the administration maintained that it would suffer “constitutional harm” by having to print the sex markers.

Kobick, again, rejected this argument.

“Even assuming a preliminary injunction inflicts some constitutional harm on the Executive Branch, such harm is the consequence of the State Department’s adoption of a Passport Policy that likely violates the constitutional rights of thousands of Americans,” she wrote.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly derided the ruling as “yet another attempt by a rogue judge to thwart President Trump’s agenda and push radical gender ideology that defies biological truth,” in comments to CBS News.

“There are only two genders, there is no such thing as gender ‘X’, and the President was given a mandate by the American people to restore common sense to the federal government,” she added.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Shocking Paddleboarder Attack: Surfer Recounts Harrowing Underwater Assault During Beach Confrontation

Inset: Andrew Gustafson (San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office). Background: California’s Morro…

FBI Breakthrough: Suspect Allegedly Guides Authorities to Missing Teen’s Remains

Authorities have confirmed that a missing Indiana teenager was discovered deceased in…

Mother Allegedly Leaves 3-Year-Old in Soiled Diaper Home Alone to Spend Night Out at Bars, Police Report

Share A woman from Texas is facing allegations of leaving her 3-year-old…

Report: Timothy Busfield Accused of Sexual Harassment by Julia Roberts’ Sister-in-Law Prior to Child Misconduct Arrest

Actor Timothy Busfield is currently facing allegations of sexual misconduct involving a…

Twisted Au Pair Affair: Jury Deliberations Intensify in Brendan Banfield Murder Trial Verdict Watch

In the heart of Northern Virginia, a jury remains deep in deliberation…

Grandmother Fatally Attacks Daughter-in-Law and Friend En Route to Children’s Birthday Celebration

Clockwise from top left: Veronica Butler (Texas County (Okla.) Sheriff’s Department), Jilian…

Tragic End: Missing Teen Linked to Online Gamer Presumed Dead, Search Shifts to Recovery Efforts

Inset, left to right: Tyler N. Thomas (Franklin County Jail) and Hailey…

Tragic Hit-and-Run Claims Life of New Bartender Biking Home in Fresh Start

Left: Thomas Riggio III (Orleans Parish Jail). Right: Michael Milam (GoFundMe). A…

Oklahoma Grandmother Found Guilty in Double Murder Case of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley

An Oklahoma grandmother, Tifany Adams, received a severe sentence on Monday, facing…

Shocking Court Revelations: Former NRL Star Faces Child-Choking and Assault Allegations

Charges against former NRL star Josh McGuire have been aired in court…

Breaking News: Norwegian Royal Scandal – Crown Princess’ Son Arrested Ahead of High-Profile Rape Trial

The oldest child of Norway’s crown princess has been detained just ahead…

Judge Dismantles Flimsy Trump DOJ Complaint: The Truth Behind Boasberg’s Impeachment Drama

Left: President Donald Trump stands outside the White House, Monday, Aug. 18,…