News and Events => Political and Legal News => Topic started by: Jessica_Rose on August 19, 2026, 03:21:55 PM Return to Full Version
Title: Appeals court allows DOJ investigation of trans telehealth provider to resume
Post by: Jessica_Rose on August 19, 2026, 03:21:55 PM
Post by: Jessica_Rose on August 19, 2026, 03:21:55 PM
Appeals court allows Trump DOJ investigation of transgender telehealth provider to resume
https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/trump-queerdoc-investigation-court
Jacob Ogles (19 Aug 2026)
An appellate court said the Justice Department can continue investigating QueerDoc, a telehealth service providing care to transgender people across the country.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said a lower court had wrongly blocked a subpoena from Justice Department investigators seeking records that included patient data, insurance claims, billing records, and communications with pharmaceutical companies. The subpoena was one of more than 20 similar demands for information issued to hospitals and clinics.
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead quashed the subpoena against QueerDoc in October, saying the Justice Department appeared to be on a mission to effectively eliminate gender-affirming care options for Americans. "Such conduct appears calculated to intimidate rather than investigate," Whitehead, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, wrote.
But the government appealed the ruling, and U.S. Circuit Judge Carlos Bea, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, said that pursuing such a goal was not inherently improper.
"Although the subpoena here was validly based on an investigation of health care law violations, the goal of ending 'gender-affirming care' is not in and of itself an 'improper' policy objective," Bea wrote, as reported by Courthouse News Service. "It is not so irrational or arbitrary as to be ultra vires. The Administration is entitled to adopt a position on either side of this 'ongoing debate among medical experts.'"
https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/trump-queerdoc-investigation-court
Jacob Ogles (19 Aug 2026)
An appellate court said the Justice Department can continue investigating QueerDoc, a telehealth service providing care to transgender people across the country.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said a lower court had wrongly blocked a subpoena from Justice Department investigators seeking records that included patient data, insurance claims, billing records, and communications with pharmaceutical companies. The subpoena was one of more than 20 similar demands for information issued to hospitals and clinics.
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead quashed the subpoena against QueerDoc in October, saying the Justice Department appeared to be on a mission to effectively eliminate gender-affirming care options for Americans. "Such conduct appears calculated to intimidate rather than investigate," Whitehead, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, wrote.
But the government appealed the ruling, and U.S. Circuit Judge Carlos Bea, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, said that pursuing such a goal was not inherently improper.
"Although the subpoena here was validly based on an investigation of health care law violations, the goal of ending 'gender-affirming care' is not in and of itself an 'improper' policy objective," Bea wrote, as reported by Courthouse News Service. "It is not so irrational or arbitrary as to be ultra vires. The Administration is entitled to adopt a position on either side of this 'ongoing debate among medical experts.'"
Title: Re: Appeals court allows DOJ investigation of trans telehealth provider to resume
Post by: Lori Dee on August 19, 2026, 04:14:43 PM
Post by: Lori Dee on August 19, 2026, 04:14:43 PM
Quote from: Jessica_Rose on Yesterday at 03:21:55 PMthe goal of ending 'gender-affirming care' is not in and of itself an 'improper' policy objective," Bea wrote
Actually, it is. It is called DISCRIMINATION.
Quote from: Jessica_Rose on Yesterday at 03:21:55 PMThe Administration is entitled to adopt a position on either side of this 'ongoing debate among medical experts.'"
There is no "ongoing debate among medical experts."
Every single major medical organization, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychiatric Association, supports the provision of age-appropriate, medically necessary care for transgender and non-binary people. These organizations represent millions of doctors, researchers, and mental health professionals in the United States. Medical care for transgender people has always existed and isn't a new phenomenon — it's just that in recent years, extremist politicians have made it into an issue for their own self-gain.
https://www.hrc.org/resources/get-the-facts-on-transgender-healthcare
See also:
https://transequality.org/trans-health-project/resources/medical-organization-statements