Federal Judge Blocks DOJ Access to Transgender Youth Medical Records at Children's National Hospital

Washington, DC District Judge Julie R. Rubin issued a ruling on January 21, 2026, granting a motion to quash a Department of Justice subpoena seeking private medical records of transgender youth treated at Children's National Hospital. The subpoena, part of a broader DOJ initiative last summer targeting 20 hospitals nationwide that provide gender-affirming care to minors, demanded highly sensitive information including patient names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, diagnoses, clinical assessments, and parental authorization forms.

Eight families who received care through the hospital's Gender Development Program filed the motion to quash in November 2025, arguing the records were deeply private and constitutionally protected. She emphasized that the government made "improper use of a §3486 administrative subpoena to out for receiving, and their Hospital for providing, healthcare, calling it "the classic impermissible fishing expedition.

The ruling applies specifically to the eight plaintiff families, represented by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and Brown Goldstein & Levy partner Eve Hill. Donovan Bendana, a legal fellow at GLAD Law, described the decision as "a huge sigh of relief"for the families, who had endured "immense anxiety and stress. He called it "a vindication of not only our clients, but everyone’s fundamental right to medical privacy, noting this right has long been recognized by courts.

Eve Hill stated, “Parents of transgender adolescents want what every parent wants: to ensure their children get the medical care they need to be healthy and thrive. This ruling affirms that the government cannot intrude into the exam room or second-guess the medical decisions families make with their doctors. Jennifer Levi, Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights at GLAD Law, added that the decision protects families from government harassment and reinforces medical privacy principles benefiting all Americans, warning that fear of exposure could deter necessary care for transgender youth.

This marks another legal setback for the DOJ's subpoena campaign. Reuters previously reported that subpoenas to at least six targeted hospitals have faced successful challenges. In a related development on January 23, 2026, the DOJ withdrew a subpoena for over 3, 00 transgender youth records at Children's Hospital Los Angeles following a legal challenge by Lawyers for Good Government and others.

U SAttorney General Pam Bondi justified the subpoenas last year as a means of "enforcing the law"against providers "that mutilate children under the guise of medical care.

The rulings underscore ongoing tensions over gender-affirming care for transgender youth, with advocates emphasizing its role in supporting mental health and well-being while courts repeatedly limit government overreach into private medical decisions.