Trump Administration Seeks Supreme Court Approval for Passport Gender Policy
The Trump administration is appealing to the Supreme Court to enforce a passport policy requiring transgender and nonbinary individuals to list their sex as male or female, reversing a Biden-era allowance for 'X' markers.
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Overview
- The Trump administration is seeking Supreme Court approval to enforce a passport policy that mandates transgender and nonbinary individuals list their sex as male or female, based on birth certificates.
- This policy follows an executive order by President Trump defining 'sex' as an immutable biological classification, leading to a dispute over recognizing only two biologically distinct sexes on official documents.
- U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick issued injunctions against Trump's executive order and passport policy, stating they were motivated by animus toward transgender people, prompting the administration's appeal.
- The Justice Department argues against private citizens forcing the government to use sex designations it deems inaccurate, while plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU, contend the policy violates their rights.
- The Trump administration has requested the Supreme Court to temporarily halt the enforcement of the lower court's order, allowing its policy to be enforced while the lawsuit is ongoing.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources appear neutral, primarily focusing on presenting the legal arguments from both sides of the Trump administration's Supreme Court request regarding passport sex designations. They detail the administration's rationale and the counter-arguments from the ACLU and the lower court, without adopting evaluative language in their own reporting.
"The plaintiffs, meanwhile, say the policy violates the rights of transgender and nonbinary Americans."
ABC News"The policy from Mr. Trump was a reversal from the Biden administration, which allowed the selection of M, F or X."
CBS News"The administration argued to the high court that the district judge’s decision was flawed."
NBC News"The government argues it can’t be required to use sex designations it considers inaccurate on official documents."
Associated PressArticles (9)
Center (4)
FAQ
The Trump administration seeks to enforce a passport policy requiring transgender and nonbinary individuals to use only male or female sex markers that match their birth certificates, eliminating the use of an 'X' or other gender-neutral markers.
Lower courts blocked the policy because judges found the executive order and passport rule were motivated by animus toward transgender people and that the policy violated the constitutional rights of transgender and nonbinary individuals.
The Trump administration argues that the government should not be forced to use sex designations on passports that it considers inaccurate, maintaining that sex is an immutable biological classification limited to male and female, consistent with a recent Supreme Court ruling on related transgender issues.
Civil rights groups, including the ACLU, have criticized the appeal as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to roll back protections for transgender Americans and to restrict recognition of transgender and nonbinary identities on official documents.
The Biden administration allowed transgender and nonbinary individuals to use an 'X' gender marker on passports, reflecting their gender identity rather than strictly the sex assigned at birth. This was reversed by the Trump administration's executive order and subsequent passport policy changes.
History
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