A three-judge panel for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the Department of Justice’s attempt to overturn a lower court’s order protecting the medical records of transgender youth in New York City.
The appeals court preserved a district court injunction that bars federal officials from using subpoenas—whether through a grand jury or otherwise—to obtain the identities and sensitive health information of transgender young people and their families. Legal groups argued the government’s efforts violated constitutional privacy protections and amounted to political interference in healthcare decisions.
The ruling follows a year-long campaign by the DOJ, which issued administrative subpoenas to hospitals nationwide, including NYU Langone and Mount Sinai. At least eight federal district courts previously blocked similar demands, with one dismissing the government’s justification as a “smokescreen.”
In June 2026, a coalition of civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit on behalf of three families and two young adults, seeking to certify a class of transgender patients who received gender-affirming care as minors. The plaintiffs allege violations of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments and invoked doctor-patient privilege under New York state law.
