A coalition of 16 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia filed suit in federal court in Boston on 1 Aug., seeking to block policies the U.S. Department of Justice adopted under President Donald Trump that target providers of gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. The complaint contends that a January 2025 executive order—directing prosecutors to prioritise investigations of such care and to end all federal funding for it—intrudes on states’ constitutional authority to regulate medical practice under the Tenth Amendment. The states also challenge an April memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi that cites the federal ban on female genital mutilation and other statutes to justify civil and criminal probes. The Justice Department has already issued more than 20 subpoenas to doctors, clinics and drugmakers supplying puberty blockers and hormones, moves the plaintiffs describe as unlawful intimidation. “This administration is ruthlessly targeting young people who already face immense barriers just to be seen and heard,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said, adding that the federal directives put “countless lives at risk.” The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.