Quick Hit:

A federal judge struck down parts of Florida's restrictions on transition-related medical care for transgender minors and adults, marking another significant legal defeat for Governor Ron DeSantis.

Key Details:

• U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Hinkle declared Florida’s statutes banning transition-related care for transgender individuals unconstitutional, emphasizing the protection against discrimination.

• Governor DeSantis heavily promoted the restrictive law, making this ruling a major setback for his administration’s agenda. Despite the ruling, the DeSantis administration plans to appeal, indicating ongoing legal battles over transgender care in Florida.

• This loss adds to a series of legal setbacks for DeSantis, including blocked policies on drag shows, the "Stop WOKE Act," anti-protest measures, and social media regulations.

Diving Deeper:

The law, heavily championed by DeSantis, made Florida one of the most restrictive states for transgender care. U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Hinkle wrote in his opinion, "Transgender opponents are of course free to hold their beliefs. But they are not free to discriminate against transgender individuals just for being transgender. In time, discrimination against transgender individuals will diminish, just as racism and misogyny have diminished. To paraphrase a civil-rights advocate from an earlier time, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Judge Hinkle further stated, "The State of Florida can regulate as needed but cannot flatly deny transgender individuals safe and effective medical treatment — treatment with medications routinely provided to others with the state's full approval so long as the purpose is not to support the patient's transgender identity."

In response, a spokesperson for the DeSantis administration announced plans to appeal the ruling. The policy’s fate now lies with the 11th Circuit Court. This ongoing legal battle is just one of many recent challenges to DeSantis' controversial policies.

This ruling is part of a pattern of legal defeats for DeSantis. Last summer, his policies against drag shows were blocked in state courts. Other blocked policies include the "Stop WOKE Act," his anti-protest measure, the regulation of social media companies, and cases brought by his elections police unit.

“Ron DeSantis” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED.