US Senator Cory Booker has slammed the Supreme Court for upholding a Tennessee state law banning gender-affirming care for trans youth.

Supreme Court justices voted (18 June) to allow the southern state to continue to ban gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth under the age of 18 in a 6-3 decision; the decision will likely serve as a legal precedent for future cases surrounding similar bans in the US.

Democratic Party Senator Cory Booker, who has held a New Jersey seat since 2013, has been among those to slam the decision.

Writing on X, he said, “Today the Supreme Court chose to abandon trans children in America. Upholding the Tennessee ban on medical care for trans kids is heartless. This is a sad day, but know I will never stop fighting to protect trans children everywhere.”

His post was accompanied by a video of the Senator speaking to LGBTQ+ advocate Josh Helfgott.

“I know trans children. I hear the fear, I hear the worry that they’re not safe,” Booker said. “The number one killer of children in America is gun violence. Do [Republicans] talk about that, the threat there? No.

“Singling out less than 1% of our population, which has the highest rates of bullying, threats of violence – heck, about 30% of LGBTQ kids, period, report missing scholl because of fear – and they made them the centre of their political campaign.

“My faith teaches me to love everyone. What that means is you lead with courageous empathy for the struggles of trans children in America.”

Today the Supreme Court chose to abandon trans children in America. Upholding the Tennessee ban on medical care for trans kids is heartless. This is a sad day, but know I will never stop fighting to protect trans children everywhere.@JoshHelfgott pic.twitter.com/k80NgLIS7S

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) June 18, 2025

US v Skrmetti was brought to the court in 2024 after a group of families with trans children and a gender-affirming care provider sued Tennessee over its bill restricting trans youth care.

Chief justice John Roberts argued the ban did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, which aims to stop authorities from passing discriminatory laws.

“[The bill] prohibits healthcare providers from administering puberty blockers or hormones to minors to treat gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, or gender incongruence, regardless of the minor’s sex,” Roberts wrote. “The Equal protection Clause does not resolve these disagreements.”

In opposition, justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote: “This case is about whether Tennessee can forbid doctors from providing necessary medical care to transgender teenagers. The answer should be a resounding no.”

“These laws intrude into the heart of the doctor-patient relationship,” she wrote. “Transgender people deserve equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution demands nothing less.”

Sotomayor was joined in dissenting the ruling opinion by justice Kentanji brown Jackson and justice Elena Kagan.

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