DOJ lawyers could face discipline over handling of transgender care probe

Politics Rhode Island judge refers DOJ lawyers for possible discipline over handling of transgender care investigation By Sarah N. Lynch, Sarah N. Lynch Senior Justice Department Reporter Sarah N. Lynch is the senior Justice Department reporter for CBS News, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Sarah N. Lynch, Melissa Quinn Melissa Quinn Senior Reporter, Politics Melissa Quinn is a senior reporter for CBSNews.com, where she covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts. Read Full Bio Melissa Quinn June 5, 2026 / 3:09 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — A federal judge in Rhode Island referred Justice Department lawyers for possible discipline on Friday over their handling of an investigation into transgender youth care at a hospital in the state, after previously finding that the lawyers misled the court and withheld information.The referral came after U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy quashed an administrative subpoena that the Justice Department issued to the hospital seeking years of sensitive medical information for every minor transgender patient who received medical care at Rhode Island Hospital, as part of a sprawling investigation into gender-transition treatments.McElroy, who was appointed by President Trump in 2019, wrote in a decision last month that the subpoena lacked a congressionally authorized purpose and was issued "for an improper purpose in bad faith." She also lambasted the Justice Department in her ruling, calling the difference between the "honorable conduct" expected of prosecutors and the department's tactics in the case "unsettling."The Justice Department, she wrote in her May 14 opinion, "possesses immense prosecutorial authority and discretion. As citizens, we trust that federal prosecutors, when wielding this awesome power against a state, a company, or certainly against vulnerable children, will play fair and be honest with its counterparts and the judiciary. DOJ has proven unworthy...