North Carolina Court Rules in Favor of Treatment for Gender Dysphoria
News
June 14, 2022
A Jenner & Block team helped secure a victory for transgender rights on June 10, when a federal judge ruled that North Carolina’s health plan for state workers must cover medically necessary treatments for gender dysphoria. The firm represented the American Medical Association and seven health care organizations as amici in the case in federal court in North Carolina.
The court, which found that excluding treatments for gender dysphoria was unlawful discrimination based on sex and transgender status, cited Jenner & Block’s amicus brief.The brief, filed in November 2021, argued that lack of gender-affirming care increases the rate of “negative mental-health outcomes, substance abuse, and suicide.” The brief also argued that “discrimination in health coverage reinforces stigma associated with being transgender. Such stigma, in turn, leads to psychological distress and attendant mental-health consequences.”
The team, working pro bono, included Partners Howard S. Suskin, Matthew D. Cipolla, and Jessica Ring Amunson; Special Counsel D. Matthew Feldhaus; Associates Illyana A. Green, Lawrence W. McMahon, and Paralegal Mary Patston.
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© 2026 Jenner & Block LLP. Attorney Advertising. Jenner & Block LLP is an Illinois Limited Liability Partnership including professional corporations. This publication, presentation, or event is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide information on legal matters and/or firm news of interest to our clients and colleagues. Readers or attendees should seek specific legal advice before taking any action with respect to matters mentioned in this publication or at this event. The attorney responsible for this communication is Brent E. Kidwell, Jenner & Block LLP, 353 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654-3456. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Jenner & Block London LLP, an affiliate of Jenner & Block LLP, is a limited liability partnership established under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with SRA number 615729. Information regarding the data we collect and the rights you have over your data can be found in our Privacy Notice. For further inquiries, please contact dataprotection@jenner.com.
News
June 14, 2022
A Jenner & Block team helped secure a victory for transgender rights on June 10, when a federal judge ruled that North Carolina’s health plan for state workers must cover medically necessary treatments for gender dysphoria. The firm represented the American Medical Association and seven health care organizations as amici in the case in federal court in North Carolina.
The court, which found that excluding treatments for gender dysphoria was unlawful discrimination based on sex and transgender status, cited Jenner & Block’s amicus brief.The brief, filed in November 2021, argued that lack of gender-affirming care increases the rate of “negative mental-health outcomes, substance abuse, and suicide.” The brief also argued that “discrimination in health coverage reinforces stigma associated with being transgender. Such stigma, in turn, leads to psychological distress and attendant mental-health consequences.”
The team, working pro bono, included Partners Howard S. Suskin, Matthew D. Cipolla, and Jessica Ring Amunson; Special Counsel D. Matthew Feldhaus; Associates Illyana A. Green, Lawrence W. McMahon, and Paralegal Mary Patston.
Related Capabilities
Related Locations
© 2026 Jenner & Block LLP. Attorney Advertising. Jenner & Block LLP is an Illinois Limited Liability Partnership including professional corporations. This publication, presentation, or event is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide information on legal matters and/or firm news of interest to our clients and colleagues. Readers or attendees should seek specific legal advice before taking any action with respect to matters mentioned in this publication or at this event. The attorney responsible for this communication is Brent E. Kidwell, Jenner & Block LLP, 353 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654-3456. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Jenner & Block London LLP, an affiliate of Jenner & Block LLP, is a limited liability partnership established under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with SRA number 615729. Information regarding the data we collect and the rights you have over your data can be found in our Privacy Notice. For further inquiries, please contact dataprotection@jenner.com.
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