In December, Chase Strangio, a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), will make history as the first openly transgender attorney to argue in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Reuters.
Strangio will challenge a Tennessee law supported by Republicans that bans gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, such as hormone treatments and surgeries.
Strangio represents a group of transgender people who filed a lawsuit against this law. Reuters explained that this is one of the most important cases of the Supreme Court’s current term.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on December 4 in the Biden administration’s appeal to overturn a lower court’s decision that upheld Tennessee’s ban.
Strangio will present arguments for the plaintiffs, while the Justice Department will also argue against the law, as reported by Reuters.
Reuters quoted ACLU Legal Director Cecillia Wang, who praised Strangio as the top legal expert in the U.S. on transgender rights, saying he combines brilliant constitutional law skills with the passion of a civil rights champion.
Since joining the ACLU in 2013, Strangio has fought against several laws targeting transgender people and has handled notable cases, including representing Gavin Grimm, a transgender student, and Chelsea Manning, a transgender former U.S. soldier.
Reuters mentioned that Tennessee is one of 22 states that passed laws restricting medical treatments for transgender youth.
While supporters of these restrictions argue that the treatments are experimental and dangerous, medical experts say that these treatments are life-saving for people with gender dysphoria, a condition where a person’s gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.
Plaintiffs in Tennessee, including transgender minors and their families, sued to protect the treatments that have greatly improved their happiness and well-being.
The Justice Department also joined the lawsuit, arguing that the ban violates the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which promises equal protection under the law.
They claim that the law discriminates against transgender youth based on their sex and gender identity.
Reuters also explained that Tennessee’s Attorney General defended the law, saying it was meant to protect minors from risky treatments.
In 2023, a federal judge blocked the Tennessee law, ruling that it likely violates the Constitution. However, a federal appeals court later overturned that decision.
The Supreme Court will now decide whether the law can stay in place, and this case follows other important rulings the court has made on LGBTQ rights, including legalizing same-sex marriage and protecting transgender employees from workplace discrimination, according to Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/first-openly-transgender-lawyer-argue-us-supreme-court-2024-10-21