TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Feb 7, 2025

The Justice Department (DOJ) has informed the U.S. Supreme Court today that it is withdrawing its opposition to Tennessee’s law banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, reversing the Biden administration’s previous stance that such bans discriminate against transgender individuals, the Tennessean reports. The justices heard arguments in December on the DOJ’s challenge to Tennessee’s law but have not yet issued a ruling. Under the Biden administration, the department argued that the law was discriminatory because it allows a teenager assigned male at birth to receive testosterone for delayed puberty while banning the same treatment for transgender youth. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti previously defended the law in a response brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the state has the authority to regulate gender transition procedures for minors. A decision in the case, United States v. Skrmetti, is expected by summer.