Doe v. Blanche Ruling Halts the Transfer of 14 Transgender Women 

WASHINGTON, DC—A federal court has blocked the Trump Administration’s Bureau of Prisons from transferring 14 transgender women into men’s prisons where they would be at extremely high risk of rape, violence, and sexual assault.

The new ruling from the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia grants a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of a Trump Bureau of Prisons policy requiring that all incarcerated transgender women be housed in men’s facilities regardless of individual safety assessment and risk of assault. The Trump policy contradicts the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) which has for years required an individualized safety assessment for placement decisions because, as federal data demonstrates, transgender people in prison are sexually abused or assaulted at nearly 10x the rate of the general prison population.

The court issued the new injunction after new Motions filed in Doe v. Blanche  provided detailed evidence of the severe harms faced by each woman if they were to be transferred, and the government’s unconstitutional and deliberate indifference to their safety. 

Jennifer Levi, GLAD Law Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights said:“This ruling could not be more consequential. The women protected by this order face the most horrific consequences imaginable if transferred: violence, sexual assault, and grave harm to their physical safety and well-being. This case sits at the center of some of the most brutal attacks this administration has launched against a vulnerable group of transgender people who are among those least able to protect themselves. These women are serving their time and do not deserve the double punishment of knowingly putting them in grave danger. Deliberately placing vulnerable people in harm’s way is not strength, it’s cowardice.”

Shannon Minter, Legal Director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights said:

“This decision reaffirms a bedrock constitutional principle: the government cannot knowingly place people in grave danger and simply look the other way. Officials are not free to ignore documented risks of rape and violence because of who someone is. These women have the right to serve their sentences without being subjected to assault, and the court has rightly held that the law requires the government to assess and respond to the real dangers they face—not look the other way.”

The plaintiffs are represented by Jennifer Levi and Sarah Austin of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), Christopher Stoll and Amy Whelan of National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR), Eve Hill of Goldstein & Levy LLP, and Jennifer Fiorica Delgado, Alexander Shalom, Natalie Kraner, and Wayne Fang of Lowenstein Sandler LLP.

Background

• On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14168, directing BOP to transfer transgender women in women’s prisons to men’s prisons without regard to individual health and safety risks.
• Doe v. Blanche plaintiffs filed for emergency relief and were granted temporary injunctions stopping the Trump administration’s Bureau of Prisons from transferring these women to men’s prisons. These protections have been in place since last year, February and March of 2025.
• The Trump administration appealed these protections and on April 17, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that the plaintiffs do have standing to bring these claims and that there is ample evidence in the record to show individualized harms but that the lower court judge needed to make those findings on the record for each plaintiff. It sent the case back to the District Court to put these findings on the record. 
• New Motions in Doe v. Blanche were filed in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia and provided detailed evidence of the severe harms faced by each woman and the government’s unconstitutional and deliberate indifference to their safety. 
• On June 7, 2026, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia issued a new injunction for continued protection. You can read the order granting the preliminary injunction and the memorandum opinion here and here.

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The National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR) is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. Since its founding in 1977, NCLR has maintained a longstanding commitment to racial and economic justice and the LGBTQ community’s most vulnerable. www.nclrights.org 

GLAD Law (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders) has been a leading force in LGBTQ+ rights for nearly 50 years. With deep roots in New England and impact nationwide, we use strategic litigation, legislation, and public education to fight discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and HIV status. GLAD Law’s bold strategy and precedent-setting victories have reshaped the legal landscape, advancing equality for all people facing discrimination and social barriers. www.gladlaw.org