A North Dakota judge has ruled that a state law prohibiting transgender medical interventions for minors does not violate the state constitution, allowing the legislation to remain in effect. District Judge Jackson Lofgren emphasized that the law targets age and medical purpose rather than sex, deeming it permissible under state law. The ruling also permits minors who began transgender treatments before the law’s April 2023 implementation to continue them.
Lofgren stated there was no evidence of an “invidious discriminatory purpose” by the legislature, citing concerns about minors’ ability to comprehend the long-term consequences of such procedures. The law criminalizes transgender surgeries on minors as a felony and restricts hormones or puberty blockers for gender transitions as a misdemeanor. Republican state Rep. Bill Tveit, who sponsored the legislation, praised the decision, calling it essential to “protect our youth.”
The case was initially brought by families and a pediatric endocrinologist, though Lofgren dismissed most claims, leaving only the physician as a plaintiff. The U.S. Supreme Court previously affirmed states’ authority to regulate transgender treatments for minors, with North Dakota joining at least 27 other states in enacting similar restrictions.
