The ruling was 6-3 along ideological lines. The Supreme Court has upheld a Tennessee law that bans sex-rejecting procedures for transgender minors.
In a 6-3 ruling Wednesday in United States v. Skrmetti, the Court’s conservative majority concluded that the ban passed in 2023 does not discriminate against people based on their “transgender status.” The justices also rejected arguments from the law’s opponents that it amounts to unconstitutional discrimination on the basis of sex.
The June 18 ruling marks a significant victory for Tennessee and more than two dozen other states with similar restrictions on transgender medical interventions, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries for minors.
The majority held that Tennessee’s S.B. 1 does not constitute sex discrimination warranting heightened scrutiny. The Court ruled that the law distinguishes treatments based on their medical purpose, not sex, and thus passes rational basis review.
We Speak Truth Foundation welcomes the decision. Independent reviews in England, Sweden, Finland, and the United States have found no reliable evidence to justify puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries on children. Tennessee’s law protects kids from that experiment. Children cannot consent to it.
Read the original Politico report for the full courtroom analysis, and the Court’s opinion in United States v. Skrmetti.