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Judge renews block on Idaho law banning public funds paying for transgender care

A stone dome with a golden eagle perched on top.
James Dawson
/
Boise State Public Radio
A view of the Idaho Capitol dome at sunrise.

A federal judge is extending a preliminary injunction blocking an Idaho law that forbids public money going to pay for gender-affirming care.

The law, introduced as House Bill 668, has been halted by the federal court system since it was supposed to take effect last July.

It bans taxpayer funds from paying for gender-affirming surgeries and treatments, like hormone therapy. The law does not apply to intersex people or those with chromosomal abnormalities.

Three transgender Idaho inmates who were receiving hormone therapy sued to halt the law, saying it violates their 8th Amendment rights to avoid cruel and unusual punishment.

Shortly after President Trump took office in January, he signed an executive order that blocked gender-affirming care for federal transgender inmates. A federal judge has since blocked that order’s enforcement.

The Idaho case is scheduled to stretch into 2026, with some legal deadlines set for February.

Copyright 2025 Boise State Public Radio

I cover politics and a bit of everything else for Boise State Public Radio. Outside of public meetings, you can find me fly fishing, making cool things out of leather or watching the Seattle Mariners' latest rebuilding season.

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