Judge tells agencies to restore public health websites removed under Trump order
US President Donald Trump waits to speak in Emancipation Hall during inauguration ceremonies at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Photo by Greg Nash / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GREG NASH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the restoration of government health-related webpages that were removed to comply with an executive order by President Donald Trump.
The temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge John Bates in Washington comes after weeks of legal challenges over whether the administration had the authority to take down the websites.
Trump’s executive order led to website removals
The backstory:
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate DEI-related policies and references to "gender ideology" from government resources.
In response, the Office of Personnel Management ordered agencies to remove content from websites, contracts and official documents, including resources related to contraception, transgender healthcare, HIV prevention and mental health studies on LGBTQ youth.
Among the affected pages:
- CDC: Removed information on contraception guidance, transgender HIV prevention, and school resources for LGBTQ students.
- FDA: Deleted content on female enrollment in clinical trials.
- Bureau of Prisons: Renamed its "Inmate Gender" page to "Inmate Sex" and removed data on transgender inmates.
Doctors for America, represented by Public Citizen, filed a lawsuit arguing that removing the websites was arbitrary and capricious, violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
What the lawsuit argued
The other side:
Doctors for America, a group of 27,000 medical professionals, argued that the removal of public health resources made it more difficult for medical providers to access essential guidance.
The lawsuit pointed to the removal of CDC webpages on contraception, HIV prevention and school health resources as examples of information that had been publicly available for years but was abruptly taken down under Trump's executive order.
The Justice Department countered that the information is still accessible on archived websites and that doctors have other resources to guide their treatment decisions. Officials also noted that the Office of Personnel Management’s directive required agencies to remove references to "gender ideology" across federal websites, contracts, and official communications.
The Source: This article is based on reporting from the Associated Press and previous FOX TV Stations coverage.