A Missouri judge said Monday that he could not overturn a ban on gender-affirming surgery in the state, ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court hearing on a similar case.
In a 74-page ruling, Wright County Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter backed the state’s block on transgender health care, including puberty blockers and hormone treatment, which was enacted in 2023.
He argued that he did not have the power to overturn the ban because the plaintiffs had tried to prove that no set of circumstances existed that allowed it under the Constitution, something which he said was not possible because of disputes over the safety and ethics of gender-affirming care.
Missouri Judge Says He Doesn’t Have Power to Overturn Transgender Surgery Ban
