The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration can enforce a new passport policy requiring U.S. passports to reflect a person's biological sex at birth. This decision, made on Thursday, was reached by a 6-3 vote from the court's conservative majority. The ruling overrides previous decisions from lower courts and dismisses claims from transgender Americans who argue that the policy is discriminatory and harmful, especially during travel. Since 1992, U.S. passport applicants have been able to obtain passports that reflect their gender identity, provided they submitted medical documentation confirming their gender transition. The new policy, however, mandates that passports display the sex assigned at birth. In an unsigned interim opinion, the Supreme Court stated, "Displaying passport holders' sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth." The court argued that the government is merely stating a historical fact without treating anyone differently. The opinion also noted that challengers of the policy did not prove that the government's decision was intended to harm a politically unpopular group. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, dissented sharply. Jackson criticized the majority for not adequately protecting transgender individuals. She stated, "By preventing transgender Americans from obtaining gender-congruent passports, the Government is doing more than just making a statement about its belief that transgender identity is 'false.'" Jackson emphasized that the policy subjects transgender individuals to additional scrutiny and potential humiliation during security checks. Jon Davidson, senior counsel for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, described the ruling as a "heartbreaking setback" for transgender rights. He stated that requiring transgender individuals to carry passports that do not align with their gender identity increases their risk of harassment and violence. Davidson affirmed the organization's commitment to challenging the policy and advocating for the rights of transgender individuals. The Supreme Court's decision comes amid ongoing litigation regarding the policy. A class action lawsuit is currently in progress, challenging the legality of the Trump administration's actions. The court's ruling allows the administration to implement the policy while the case continues in lower courts. The Trump administration's policy marks a significant shift from previous practices. Under President Biden, the State Department had allowed individuals to self-select their gender markers on passports and introduced a third option, "X," for nonbinary and gender non-conforming individuals. The Justice Department argued that the lower court's ruling blocking the policy was flawed, asserting that the government has the authority to determine accurate sex designations on official documents. The administration has faced multiple legal challenges to its policies affecting transgender rights since Trump took office again in January. As the legal battle continues, the implications of this ruling for transgender Americans remain significant, particularly regarding their ability to travel without fear of misidentification or harassment.