Judge Blocks Trump Passport Policy Nationwide

Tone & Political Bias: Moderate Left–Leaning

Why: Focuses on legal protections for transgender rights and frames the Trump-era policy as discriminatory.

What’s Happening

A federal judge has expanded an earlier injunction against a Trump administration policy that limited passport options for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals. The order blocks the enforcement of the rule nationwide while litigation continues.

What The Executive Order Did

Executive Order 14168, signed by Donald Trump in January 2025, instructed federal agencies to define gender strictly as male or female, based on birth sex. The State Department followed this by removing the "X" gender marker option on passports and requiring applicants to list only biological sex.

This reversed the Biden-era policy that allowed applicants to choose their gender identity and use an “X” marker if they identified as nonbinary.

The Judge’s Ruling

U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick had already issued a limited injunction in April affecting a small group of plaintiffs. On June 17, she expanded that order to cover all transgender, nonbinary, and intersex passport applicants across the country.

The judge ruled the policy likely violates the Fifth Amendment's equal protection clause. She stated the government had not shown a valid reason for requiring birth-sex-only passport markers and said the policy appeared to be based on bias.

She also noted that many affected individuals suffered harm, including being denied valid identification or refraining from applying due to fear of discrimination.

What The Block Means Now

The ruling temporarily halts enforcement of the policy for individuals applying for new passports or renewing expiring ones. It applies to those seeking to update name or gender information as well. However, this is not a final judgment—the policy remains suspended while the case is active.

Reactions From Both Sides

The American Civil Liberties Union, representing the plaintiffs, praised the decision as a step toward justice and equal rights. The White House, in contrast, criticized the judge’s ruling, claiming it undermines President Trump’s agenda and promotes what it called “radical gender ideology.”

Broader Legal Impact

The case highlights the ongoing legal battles over transgender rights under the Trump administration. It follows other challenges to recent executive orders, including the one banning transgender individuals from military service.

By granting class-action status and applying the ruling nationally, the judge’s decision may influence other legal efforts to challenge policies that restrict gender identity recognition in federal documents.

What’s Next

Transgender and nonbinary Americans can continue applying for passports with gender markers matching their identity. The legal process will now move forward, and higher courts may eventually weigh in on the constitutionality of Trump’s directive.