A Kansas judge blocked a state law on Friday banning sex change drugs for minors.
Judge Carl Folsom III of the State District Court in Douglas County granted a temporary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas on behalf of two transgender-identifying teens and their parents, ruling that the law likely violates parents’ rights to make decisions for their children, the New York Times reported.
“Judge Folsom, who was appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, wrote in his 117-page ruling that transgender children would likely face irreparable harm if the ban remained in place. He also described testimony that gender-transition treatments for minors were safe and effective as credible,” the report details.
Republican Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach slammed the ruling as a “stark example of judicial activism” and said he plans to appeal.
“The judge invented a new constitutional right out of whole cloth,” Kobach said in a statement. “Even though the Kansas Constitution says nothing about it, the judge created a new right of parents to obtain otherwise-illegal treatments for their children.”
Harper Seldin, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, told the publication the ruling “is a momentous win for not just our plaintiffs, but for everyone who is affected in Kansas.”
Democrat Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the law last year, framing it as “government interference in Kansans’ private medical decisions.’ However, the Republican-dominated legislature overrode her veto. Folsom’s ruling blocked the part of the law that bans sex change drugs for minors, but left in place a provision that blocks sex change surgeries for confused youth.
READ MORE — Report: Kansas Revokes Drivers’ Licenses of 1,700 Trans-Identifying Individuals
Folsom issued his ruling the same day Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Department of Justice announced a resolution and settlement with Texas Children’s Hospital that would create the first clinic for detransitioners and halt sex changes for minors.
Last year, the Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law banning sex changes for minors in U.S. v. Skrmetti. However, the Kansas case was filed in state court and relates to the State Constitution, meaning it is not bound by the Skrmetti ruling, according to the report.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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