Judge temporarily blocks subpoenas in criminal probe of transgender care at New York hospitals

A federal judge temporarily blocked subpoenas for the medical records of transgender patients treated at New York hospitals on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla stated that the government's pursuit of these records, spanning a six-year period, constituted an improper effort to "demonize and eradicate an entire population of transgender" people and was "most egregious" and unconstitutional. The subpoenas were issued by federal prosecutors in Texas as part of a criminal probe into gender-affirming care provided by New York hospitals. Judge Failla heard oral arguments in Manhattan the day before her ruling, emphasizing the sensitive nature of the medical information sought from a "uniquely vulnerable group" of patients. The temporary block is in place while the court considers the legality of the government's request for the records.