Republican Judges Deal Blow to Transgender Care Ban
Supreme Court denied the state's request to start enforcing its ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth on Wednesday.In April, Republican state Attorney General Dave Yost asked the court for an emergency order to pause Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook's April 16 decision in which he placed a hold on House Bill 68.
The bill, known as the Ohio Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act and the Save Women's Sports Act, introduces two regulations related to gender and minors and was supposed to take effect on April 24.
Republican Governor Mike DeWine previously vetoed the bill, but lawmakers voted to override his veto.Yost's emergency order was denied on Wednesday, leaving a freeze on the ban in place as the case continues in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, where a trial is scheduled for July 15.Newsweek has reached out to Yost's office via phone and the Ohio Supreme Court via email for comment.This comes as transgender youth have been faced with hundreds of bills nationwide as conservative lawmakers have been moving to limit LGBTQ people's rights such as access to gender affirming care, use of bathroom facilities, and participation in sports in places such as Texas, Florida and Virginia.
According to the ACLU, at least 510 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in state legislatures across the country in 2023.In two separate concurring opinions, Republican Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine—the governor's son—and Democratic Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner took aim at each other as Pat DeWine raised concern with Holbrook's decision to "issue a statewide injunction.""Although we deny the relief requested today, this case raises an important issue: Is it appropriate for one judge in a single county to issue a statewide injunction that goes beyond what is necessary to provide interim relief to the parties in the case," DeWine asked.DeWine, who was joined by Justices Patrick Fischer and Joseph Deters in his.
