Rhode Island Hospital began sending records related to trans youth patients receiving gender-affirming care to federal Judge Reed O'Connor in Texas to comply with his order. The Department of Justice sought the records without a formal investigation and obtained sign-off on a subpoena in O'Connor’s court. Rhode Island Hospital asked Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode Island to block the subpoena, and she quashed it while accusing the DOJ of forum shopping. McElroy cited the political context, including prior statements by Donald Trump about ending gender-affirming care for trans youth. O'Connor later overrode McElroy’s decision and ordered the hospital to stop seeking relief and to send records directly. Rhode Island’s child advocate appealed in Boston, and the DOJ agreed to stop demanding identifying information, leading the appeals court to deny the petition based on the amended request for anonymized data.
"Rhode Island Hospital has started sending records related to trans youth patients getting gender-affirming care to the court of federal Judge Reed O'Connor in Texas, in order to comply with his recent order for the documents. The Department of Justice (DOJ) demanded the records even though there is no formal investigation into the hospital, and went to O'Connor's court to sign off on its subpoena. Rhode Island Hospital turned to a federal judge in Rhode Island, Judge Mary McElroy, to block the order, and she accused the DOJ of " forum shopping " by going halfway across the country to Judge O'Connor to back their subpoena, which she quashed."
"McElroy noted the political nature of the DOJ's investigation, including Donald Trump's previous statements about wanting to end gender-affirming care for trans youth. She also criticized the DOJ for not going to her and instead going to O'Connor for their subpoena, saying that they thought he'd be "friendly to [the DOJ's] political positions." O'Connor is one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ federal judges in the country. But earlier this week, O'Connor circumvented the Rhode Island judge's decision and even ordered the hospital to stop seeking relief from McElroy's court."
"He demanded that the hospital send him the trans kids' medical records directly. Rhode Island's child advocate, who is in charge of defending children's interests in the state, appealed to a federal court in Boston. The DOJ responded by saying that it would no longer demand identifying information about the trans kids who sought care at Rhode Island Hospital. The appeals court denied the petition to overturn Judge O'Connor's order, citing the DOJ's amended request for anonymized information."
"The DOJ has been seeking such records from hospitals across the country, and multiple federal judges have already quashed their subpoenas. The dispute centers on whether the government can compel medical records tied to trans youth receiving gender-affirming care, and where the subpoenas should be handled. The case also reflects disagreements between federal judges about the DOJ’s approach and the political context surrounding the requests."
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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