Hospital starts sending federal investigators trans kids' medical recordshttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/05/hospital-starts-sending-federal-investigators-trans-kids-medical-records/ 🔗Alex Bollinger (22 May 2026)
Rhode Island Hospital has started sending records related to trans youth patients getting gender-affirming care to the court of federal Judge Reed O'Connor in Texas, in order to comply with his recent order for the documents.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) demanded the records even though there is no formal investigation into the hospital, and went to O'Connor's court to sign off on its subpoena. Rhode Island Hospital turned to a federal judge in Rhode Island, Judge Mary McElroy, to block the order, and she accused the DOJ of "forum shopping" by going halfway across the country to Judge O'Connor to back their subpoena, which she quashed.
McElroy noted the political nature of the DOJ's investigation, including Donald Trump's previous statements about wanting to end gender-affirming care for trans youth. She also criticized the DOJ for not going to her and instead going to O'Connor for their subpoena, saying that they thought he'd be "friendly to [the DOJ's] political positions." O'Connor is one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ federal judges in the country.
But earlier this week, O'Connor circumvented the Rhode Island judge's decision and even ordered the hospital to stop seeking relief from McElroy's court. He demanded that the hospital send him the trans kids' medical records directly.
Rhode Island's child advocate, who is in charge of defending children's interests in the state, appealed to a federal court in Boston. The DOJ responded by saying that it would no longer demand identifying information about the trans kids who sought care at Rhode Island Hospital. The appeals court denied the petition to overturn Judge O'Connor's order, citing the DOJ's amended request for anonymized information.
