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Federal judge blocks Texas subpoena for New York trans kids' medical records

Original version ·

The feds tried a sneaky legal maneuver to get their hands on years of private medical data from New York hospitals, but a judge just called them out for a massive fishing expedition.

So, the Justice Department wanted to look at six years of medical records for minors who received gender-affirming care at NYU Langone Hospitals. But instead of asking nicely or going through normal civil channels, they got a grand jury in Texas to issue a subpoena. Why Texas? Because they hoped a friendly local court wouldn't ask too many questions.

But a federal judge in New York, Katherine Polk Failla, saw right through it. She blocked the move, pointing out that the government couldn't even name a specific crime they were actually investigating to justify violating the privacy of hundreds of families.

In fact, the judge basically accused prosecutors of trying to bypass previous court losses by using grand jury subpoenas as a loophole, hinting that they might even be planning to criminally prosecute the patients themselves.

Sending a legal dragnet halfway across the country just to snoop on teenagers' doctor visits is certainly one way to spend taxpayer dollars.

Source: CNN

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  1. Overworked Lobbyist
    using a texas grand jury to spy on kids in new york is wild. glad the judge shut this down
    +5 solidA rare moment of clarity regarding the absurdity of interstate medical surveillance
  2. Rugged Survivalist
    wait so they wanted medical records but couldn't even name a crime? that's literally just fishing
    +4 solidFishing for records without a crime is the legal equivalent of checking someone's trash for fun