Update: The Supreme Court of Texas ruled against our plaintiffs, holding that S.B. 14 is constitutional under the Texas Constitution. The Court overturned a Travis County District Court ruling blocking the law, and held that the Texas Legislature was within its authority to ban this care.
Families and health professionals are suing the State of Texas and other state defendants to block Senate Bill 14. This law bans necessary and life-saving medical care for Texas’s transgender youth, cuts off access to care for adolescent minors already receiving treatment, and requires the state to revoke the medical licenses of physicians providing the best standard of care to their trans patients.
The plaintiffs challenging this law include five Texas families, three medical professionals, and two organizations representing hundreds of families and health professionals across the state. PFLAG is the nation’s first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. GLMA is the oldest and largest association of LGBTQ+ and allied health professionals, including those who treat LGBTQ+ patients.
They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the ACLU, Lambda Legal, Transgender Law Center, and the law firms Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP.
This lawsuit was filed in Travis County District Court and is aiming to block S.B. 14. The Plaintiffs held a temporary injunction hearing in Austin on Aug. 15-16, 2023; and, based on two days of evidence and testimony, the district court entered an order blocking S.B. 14 on Aug. 25. The Texas Attorney General appealed that decision and Plaintiffs sought emergency relief from the Texas Supreme Court to reinstate the district court’s ruling and stop S.B. 14 from going into effect.
On Aug. 31, the Texas Supreme Court denied Plaintiffs’ request for emergency relief, which allowed S.B. 14 to take effect on Sept. 1. But the lawsuit continues and the Plaintiffs are urging the Texas Supreme Court to stop this unconstitutional law from continuing to harm transgender youth, their families and healthcare providers.
All filings before the Texas Supreme Court are available online.
The Texas Supreme Court heard oral argument January 30, 2024, and published their decision June 28, 2024.
