❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in a ruling allowing transgender and nonbinary citizens to select their gender identity on passports.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, the U.S. Supreme Court, and government lawyers.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Filed Friday, September 19, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
🎯IMPACT: The Supreme Court’s decision could set a precedent for gender identity policies in federal documentation.
President Donald J. Trump has filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, requesting intervention in a case concerning gender identity options on U.S. passports. In a Friday filing, government attorneys asked the justices to block a lower court decision that allows passport applicants to select “male,” “female,” or an “X” designation, regardless of the sex listed on their birth certificate.
The policy, which has sparked significant debate, represents a departure from the traditional reliance on birth certificate sex markers for official documentation. Similarly, the former Biden government issued guidance allowing immigrants filing a N-400 form applying for naturalization to select the “X” designation without supporting documents.
“You do not need to provide supporting documentation to select X as your gender initially or to change your gender selection for Form N-400,” the former Biden government policy guidance stated at the time, continuing: “The gender you select does not need to match the gender listed on your other immigration documents or on supporting identity documents, such as your birth certificate, passport, or state identification.”
In addition to asking for high court intervention with the change to U.S. passports, Republicans in the House of Representatives are looking to advance a bill that would allow the Secretary of State to revoke the passports of people accused of aiding terrorist groups. The National Pulse reported earlier this week that the bill defines “material support” broadly, including financial aid, lodging, weapons, transportation, and “expert advice or assistance.” Exceptions are made for medicine and religious materials. Notably, people whose passports are revoked would be allowed to appeal.
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