( August 17, 2026, 2:45 PM EDT) -- SEATTLE — Giving the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) a victory on an issue that is the focus of numerous lawsuits, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Aug. 14 issued a 2-1 ruling reversing quashal of an administrative subpoena for patient medical and communications data from a gender-affirming care provider and remanding for further proceedings; the majority concluded that the provider “has not met its heavy burden of showing that the subpoena was issued for an improper purpose,” and the dissenter said, “That the President may lawfully voice policy opposition to a practice does not mean the DOJ can exceed its statutory authority and issue pretextual subpoenas to put a company out of business.”...