Which Tennessee law did the Supreme Court evaluate in United States v. Skrmetti during the 2024-2025 term?

In the 2024-2025 term, the Supreme Court case United States v. Skrmetti centered on a Tennessee law known as Senate Bill 1 (SB1). This law enacted a comprehensive ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors within the state. The legal challenge aimed to determine the constitutionality of Tennessee's prohibition on treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and certain surgeries when used for the purpose of gender transition in individuals under 18.

The Biden-Harris Administration, along with families of transgender youth and a medical provider, brought the challenge, arguing that Tennessee's law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by discriminating based on sex and transgender status. Conversely, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti defended SB1, asserting it was a legitimate exercise of the state's power to regulate medicine and protect children from what the state characterized as unproven medical interventions. The Supreme Court ultimately sided with Tennessee in a 6-3 decision, ruling that the law's classifications were based on age and medical use, rather than sex or transgender status, and thus only required "rational basis" review, a less stringent legal standard.

This landmark decision has far-reaching implications, as it effectively allows similar bans on gender-affirming care for minors in numerous other states to remain in effect. While the case marked the Supreme Court's first consideration of the Equal Protection Clause in relation to transgender youth, the Court's ruling notably sidestepped the question of whether transgender status should be considered a protected class under the Constitution. The outcome reinforces the ongoing national debate surrounding LGBTQ+ rights and state authority over medical practices.