NY Judge Temporarily Blocks DOJ From Accessing Medical Records of Minors Who Underwent Gender-Affirming Procedures at New York Hospitals

A federal judge in New York has issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Department of Justice from obtaining identifying medical records of transgender minors who received gender-affirming care at federally funded hospitals in New York City, including NYU Langone and Mount Sinai. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla granted the order on June 24, 2026, in the case of Coe v. Blanche, finding that plaintiffs demonstrated irreparable harm and a substantial likelihood of success on claims that the subpoenas violate constitutional protections for informational privacy and against unreasonable searches and seizures under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. The ruling also cited breaches of New York physician-patient confidentiality laws.

The order restrains the DOJ, its officers, agents, and those acting in concert with them from seeking, receiving, using, retaining, or disseminating any identifying or sensitive health information of the plaintiffs and class members through the subpoenas at issue or substantially similar administrative or grand jury subpoenas. It is part of the DOJ’s investigations into potential healthcare offenses related to gender-affirming medical care provided to minors. Hospitals named in the action are similarly enjoined from disclosing such information in response to the subpoenas. The court provisionally certified a class covering individuals who received medical, surgical, pharmaceutical, or clinical interventions intended to suppress, alter, or eliminate pubertal development or modify sex characteristics to align with an asserted gender identity while under 18, from January 1, 2020, through May 5, 2026, at New York City healthcare institutions.

The subpoenas originated from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas and sought broad categories of records identifying patients and detailing their clinical care and informed consent processes. Plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU, New York Civil Liberties Union, and Lambda Legal, include three families with transgender youth and two transgender young adults who received care as minors. They filed the lawsuit in June 2026 after NYU Langone received a grand jury subpoena on May 7, 2026, arguing the demands violate privacy rights and target transgender individuals as part of a broader federal effort. The judge described the government’s pursuit of the most sensitive records of a “uniquely vulnerable group” over a six-year period as “most egregious.”

This development occurs amid the Trump administration’s intensified scrutiny of medical interventions for gender dysphoria in minors. The DOJ has issued subpoenas to doctors and clinics nationwide as part of investigations into potential healthcare fraud, false statements, and the off-label promotion or misbranding of drugs such as puberty blockers. In prior actions, the department secured agreements with hospital systems in Texas and Ohio, including Texas Children’s Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, under which the facilities committed to ending pediatric gender-affirming procedures on minors and providing detransition care. Critics of these procedures point to emerging data on medical risks, including impacts on bone density, fertility, and cognitive development, as well as reports of detransition among some individuals who later regretted interventions started in adolescence.

Medical watchdog groups have expressed concern over the ruling’s effect on accountability. Dr. Kurt Miceli, chief medical officer at Do No Harm, stated it is “troubling to see activist judges overlook children’s safety in matters involving sex change interventions.” He noted the DOJ’s focus on potential fraud and off-label drug use, adding that courts should enforce accountability rather than block examination of how these interventions have been applied to minors. Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, observed that it is “not shocking that these nonprofit hospitals will stop at nothing to continue their woke policies,” highlighting prior exposures of facilities like Mount Sinai allegedly prioritizing ideological agendas over core patient care while benefiting from taxpayer dollars and tax-exempt status. American Principles Project President Terry Schilling pointed to the administration’s “historic victories” against hospital systems that profited from procedures on confused minors and stated that justice is coming for children and detransitioners.

The DOJ declined to comment on the specific ruling. Similar challenges to DOJ subpoenas for transgender youth medical records have arisen in other jurisdictions, including California, where courts have also limited access in some instances. The New York order remains temporary, with further proceedings scheduled, including a July 8 hearing on whether to convert it into a preliminary injunction. The case underscores ongoing tensions between federal efforts to investigate medical practices involving minors and claims of patient privacy protections in states with permissive policies on gender-related interventions.