I was not aware that a U.S. judge had the authority to tell the White House what kind of website content to publish.
But apparently that's a thing?
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to restore public medical information on websites that was removed under one of President Donald Trump's executive orders aimed at transgender care.
U.S. District Judge John Bates' order came after the group Doctors of America said the removal of websites at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hurt patient care because doctors rely on the sites for information about treating ailments. He ordered the webpages be restored to their previous condition as of Jan. 30 by the midnight Tuesday.
Everyone who knows even a little tiny bit about how our legal system works:
Pretty sure the executive branch has the power to decide what goes on executive branch websites, bud!
Apparently the judge was convinced by being told that he alone had the power to save people from a lack of gender ideology on White House websites:
Zachary Shelley, a lawyer for the advocacy group Public Citizen, which represented the group of 27,000 doctors and medical trainees, had told Bates during a hearing Monday he could prevent harm in the future from public health threats by ordering the government to restore the websites.
Pretty sure "I want to do this so I feel good about myself" is not a sound basis for judicial action.
Some reactions and remarks on Tuesday afternoon, meanwhile:
I'd wager my lunch money that this order doesn't survive SCOTUS review.
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