ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL WINS LAWSUIT PROTECTING GENDER AFFIRMING CARE; COURT ISSUES FINAL WRITTEN ORDER

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL WINS LAWSUIT PROTECTING GENDER AFFIRMING CARE; COURT ISSUES FINAL WRITTEN ORDER

April 20, 2026

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a coalition of 22 states secured a federal court order blocking an unlawful attempt by the Trump administration to threaten health care providers who treat youth with gender dysphoria. A federal district court issued a written opinion and judgment, granting the plaintiff states' summary judgment motion.

"This is another sharp reminder to the Trump administration that Illinois and our partner states will not stop fighting back against the unlawful and cruel targeting of transgender youth and their medical providers," Raoul said. "The court agreed that Secretary Kennedy lacks power to cast aside medical standards of care recognized by state health care regulators; nor can he limit doctors' participation in Medicaid and Medicare by proclamation. I will continue to stand with transgender youth and their medical providers and pledge to take all necessary action to stop this administration's attacks on essential health care for all Illinoisians."

On Dec. 18, 2025, Kennedy and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a declaration asserting that certain forms of gender-affirming health care are "unsafe and ineffective." In the declaration, Secretary Kennedy tried to give HHS the power to exclude health care providers from Medicare and Medicaid programs simply for providing care for transgender adolescents that is medically necessary, safe, effective and legal in Illinois.

Attorney General Raoul and the coalition immediately sued in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, arguing that Congress did not give Kennedy legal authority to issue the declaration; that HHS's actions were unreasoned, unexplained and thus arbitrary and capricious; and that the agency failed to follow required procedures before announcing its final agency action and issuing the declaration.

At the end of a summary judgment hearing last month, a federal judge agreed with the states and ruled during the hearing that the federal government's threats were blocked. Saturday's written opinion and judgment effectuate that prior ruling and protect health care providers and hospitals from the potentially destabilizing effects of HHS' unlawful actions.

Joining Attorney General Raoul in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as the governor of Pennsylvania.