DOJ Seeks Court Action Against Hospital Providing Gender-Affirming Care to Minors at Rhode Island Hospital

In the latest effort of the Trump administration to curb hospitals from performing gender-affirming procedures, a Texas judge has ordered a hospital in Rhode Island to comply with a Department of Justice (DOJ) subpoena. The subpoena seeks records on gender affirming care provided to minors by the hospital.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, issued the decision on April 30, just a couple of hours after the DOJ filed a petition to enforce the subpoena, originally issued in July 2025, against Rhode Island Hospital. The order was posted on the court docket on May 1.

In the court filings, the DOJ said it requested records from Rhode Island Hospital in July 2025 as part of an investigation into prescription drugs given to minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria, including puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormone therapy.

A DOJ press release said that, as of May 1, Rhode Island Hospital had not complied with the subpoena. However, it is highly unusual for a judge to issue a compliance order without allowing the recipient to respond.

The subpoena is among more than 20 that the DOJ said it has issued to healthcare providers nationwide involved in providing gender-affirming care to minors. At least seven judges have ruled in favor of providers who have challenged individual subpoenas, but Rhode Island Hospital’s case is the first in which the DOJ has gone to court to enforce one.

The subpoena includes 15 demands for information covering personal and corporate oversight, billing, coding, reimbursement, and clinical practices, and the hospital’s relationship with drug manufacturers and distributors.

“The Department of Justice expects and demands full compliance with validly issued subpoenas like the one at issue here,” said Brett A Shumate, the Assistant Attorney General for the civil division, in a statement released by the department. “Non-compliance with lawful process is never an option,” he added.

Rhode Island Hospital is part of the non-profit Brown University Health System. The University has not released an official statement regarding this case. The hospital is affiliated with Brown University and is the school’s main teaching hospital.

“We recently became aware of the motion filed by the Department of Justice and are currently reviewing it carefully with counsel,” a spokesperson said.

In a two-page order, the judge said the subpoena was within the DOJ’s authority and sought documents reasonably relevant to the department’s investigation. He said Rhode Island Hospital “has neither filed a motion to quash nor shown just cause for noncompliance.”