Boston, MA — A federal judge has issued a nationwide injunction blocking the Trump administration’s policy that restricted transgender and nonbinary Americans from obtaining passports that accurately reflect their gender identity.
On June 17, U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick expanded a prior ruling from April that initially applied to only six individuals. The new preliminary injunction halts enforcement of the policy across the United States, pending further legal review.
The Trump administration had implemented the policy shortly after President Donald Trump began his second term in January. Under an executive order, the federal government was instructed to “recognize only two sexes, male and female,” and specified that “these sexes are not changeable.” The Department of State, in turn, began denying passport applications that did not match the applicant’s biological sex as recorded at birth.
The directive caused significant confusion and disruption. Transgender and nonbinary travelers who had already submitted documentation for updated passports were denied or faced accusations of using fraudulent identification at airports and border crossings.
In her ruling, Judge Kobick stated that the policy was likely unconstitutional, particularly for individuals whose gender identity differs from their birth-assigned sex. The judge had already granted temporary relief in April for six plaintiffs directly affected by the policy, requiring the State Department to issue them accurate passports.
Now, her broader order applies nationwide, effectively freezing the Trump policy while the case proceeds in federal court.
This passport restriction is part of a broader pattern of Trump administration rollbacks on transgender rights. Other high-profile measures include the ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in May, despite backlash from civil rights groups.
Legal advocates hailed the ruling as a significant victory for gender identity rights and civil liberties. Meanwhile, the Department of State has not yet issued a public comment on the court’s decision.
The case is expected to continue as a major legal battle over LGBTQ+ rights and federal policy in Trump’s second term.
