A federal judge has trashed a health care rule from the Biden administration that aimed to protect transgender people from discrimination in medical settings.
On Wednesday, Judge Louis Guirola Jr., from the U.S. District Court in Mississippi, sided with 15 Republican-led states that sued to stop the rule. The Biden-era policy expanded the definition of sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity in certain federally funded health programs, The Hill confirmed.
Guirola ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services “exceeded its authority by implementing regulations redefining sex discrimination and prohibiting gender identity discrimination.”
The rule was based on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. It would have prevented health care providers and insurers receiving federal funds from denying care, especially gender-affirming treatments, to transgender individuals.
Originally introduced under President Obama in 2016, the rule was rolled back by the Trump administration, which limited sex discrimination to “biological sex.” Biden’s team later reinstated it in 2024, but Judge Guirola’s decision has now reversed that move again.
Guirola said the law must be interpreted based on what “sex” meant when the statute was passed in 1972, which focused on biological differences between men and women.
Although the rule hadn’t taken effect yet, the judge’s decision applies nationwide.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti praised the outcome: “This decision restores not just common sense but also constitutional limits on federal overreach, and I am proud of the team of excellent attorneys who fought this through to the finish.”
