A federal judge just issued a scathing ruling saying the Department of Justice can't force UPMC Children's Hospital to hand over young patients' medical records. The DOJ had demanded information about minors who were receiving gender-affirming care. "There is more than a whiff of ill-intent," Chief Judge Cathy Bissoon wrote. "Arguably, it is closer to a stench." But the legal battle isn't over, and UPMC has stopped providing most forms of gender-affirming care for young people. Mimi McKenzie, legal director at the Public Interest Law Center, joins executive producer Mallory Falk to explain how she came to represent four local patients and their families, why she found it "hugely disappointing" that UPMC didn't bring its own legal challenge against the government, and what's happening with similar cases across the country.

Learn more about the sponsors of this March 16th episode:

P3R

The Westmoreland

Carnegie Library

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