Summary
A US federal judge, Julia Kobick, ruled that the Trump administration’s passport policy denying transgender and non-binary Americans the ability to reflect their gender identities is likely unconstitutional, though she did not impose a nationwide block. She issued a preliminary injunction allowing six plaintiffs to amend their sex designations or use “X” on their passports, stating the policy exhibited discrimination and irrational prejudice against transgender individuals. The policy, established under Trump’s executive order, reversed over 30 years of State Department practices and necessitated applicants to disclose their biological sex at birth.