Arkansas Medical Care Ban for Trans Kids Likely Unconstitutional

Arkansas isn’t trying to protect children from experimental treatments in banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a federal district court judge found.

In a written order Monday, Judge James Moody Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas said the state’s “purported health concerns regarding the risks of gender transition procedures are pretextual” and said the law that passed in April is “presumptively unconstitutional.”

Moody blocked the state law in a ruling from the bench on July 21, but gave his reasoning for that decision in writing on Monday. Arkansas’s law, which would have taken effect ...