TRENTON, N.J. — On May 6, the Trump administration abandoned its appeal of a court order quashing a federal subpoena for transgender youth medical records at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Five days later, in an independently scheduled Monday meeting, the New Jersey Senate Health Committee voted 5–2 to advance legislation that would bar state and local law enforcement from cooperating with out-of-state investigations into gender-affirming care.

Senate Bill 2260, which has been in committee since January and is unrelated to the CHOP case, now heads to the Assembly Health Committee on Thursday. The two-chamber push would codify a 2023 Murphy executive order, EO302, into permanent statute. It would also shield New Jersey healthcare providers from the federal pressure that has already forced one major hospital to fight in court.

Senate President Nick Scutari (D, 22nd) and Senator Teresa Ruiz (D, 29th) jointly sponsored the measure, with Senator Andrew Zwicker (D, 16th) and Raj Mukherji (D, 32nd) among multiple co-sponsors. The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, made up of five Democrats and two Republicans, voted 5–2 to advance the bill to the Assembly. Senators Joseph Vitale (D, 19th), Angela McKnight (D, 31st) and Mukherji were present and voted yes. Ruiz and Zwicker substituted for absent Democrats Renee Burgess (D, 28th) and John McKeon (D, 27th), and voted yes from the dais. Senators Holly Schepisi (R, 39th) and Robert Singer (R, 30th) voted no.

Ruiz told the committee the bill responds to a specific threat: federal and out-of-state law enforcement seeking to execute warrants or subpoenas against New Jersey providers who treat transgender patients or provide reproductive care. "Our law enforcement will not carry out another state's agenda," she said.

The bill creates a new crime: interference with legally protected health care activities. It also extends existing anti-discrimination protections to insurance coverage, provider liability shields, and extradition refusal.

The concurrent but unrelated CHOP case adds a real dimension to the bill. On May 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice moved to drop its appeal of a federal judge's November 2025 order quashing a DOJ subpoena served on CHOP in June 2025. That subpoena had demanded names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses and parent or guardian information for transgender youth patients, plus all communications back to 2020. Judge Mark A. Kearney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania quashed the subpoena as overbroad. The DOJ's retreat leaves the hospital clear of federal civil demand, for now.

Physical threats forced CHOP to tighten security in 2022, after protests and violent incidents against its gender and sexuality development program. The federal subpoena added a legal pressure vector. Lucy Amato, a CHOP patient, testified on Monday that the hospital's program has faced ongoing pressure since the subpoena and has received unspecified threats that required continued security measures.

Natalie Baker, a psychotherapist and parent of a transgender child, testified that families are making difficult life decisions based on whether their children feel safe and protected. "Families are paying attention to this. Providers are paying attention to this. And businesses are too," she said.

Schepisi warned the bill would "protect bad actors from investigations" and suggested the legislation would incentivize families to move to New Jersey for care. Marie Tasy of New Jersey Right to Life testified that late amendments inserted language that opponents had not seen into the bill, calling the changes substantive rather than technical.

Those amendments remain opaque. The committee advanced the bill without publishing the revised text, a gap that Tasy and Schepisi seized on to question procedural legitimacy. Those amendments remain opaque. The committee advanced the bill without publishing the revised text, a gap that Tasy and Schepisi seized on to question procedural legitimacy.

Governor Mikie Sherrill has not commented directly on S2260. Her March 2026 signing of legislation barring state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement demonstrates a willingness to limit state cooperation with federal priorities. Her predecessor, Phil Murphy, had pocket-vetoed a broader version of that bill in January, fearing Trump administration lawsuits. Sherrill signed a narrower version of the ICE bill with a defiant statement: "We beat them in court then — and we're happy to meet them in court again." Her comments referred to a previous challenges against ICE restrictions by the Trump administration, and not the CHOP subpoena case.

In March 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed, and finalized that June, a rule stripping gender-affirming care from the Essential Health Benefits required in Affordable Care Act plans, a federal override of state insurance mandates. New Jersey's Department of Banking and Insurance had already directed carriers to cover hormone therapies, mastectomies, and vocal training under a 2017 law and a 2023 bulletin.

S2260 would elevate that state regulatory framework to statute, making it harder for a future administration, state or federal, to reverse it by executive action. The bill also bundles reproductive healthcare protections with transgender healthcare, placing abortion access and gender-affirming care under a single statutory umbrella.

The Supreme Court's 2025 decision in United States v. Skrmetti, a ruling that upholding state bans on gender-affirming care for minors under rational-basis review, hovers over the debate. S2260 chooses the opposite policy within the same federalist framework: where Skrmetti permits state bans, New Jersey would mandate access and protection for minors. A federal constitutional challenge testing whether a protection mandate exceeds the federal floor is possible if the bill becomes law.

No public mobilization by national conservative groups against S2260 was detected as of May 12. Lobbying activity may exist but is not yet disclosed through standard reporting channels. The New Jersey Catholic Conference, active on school security funding and mental health legislation this session, has not issued a public statement on the bill.

The Assembly Health Committee hears the bill on Thursday. Assemblywoman Carol Murphy (D, 7th) will chair the hearing. For the families who testified Monday and the providers who have already fought one federal subpoena, the vote determines whether New Jersey's protections are elevated to statute or remain as executive authority.

Sources

• Stephanie Stahl, CBS Philadelphia, "CHOP increasing security following threats aimed at its transgender clinic" (October 11, 2022)

• EPGN, "CHOP tightens security following threats to its gender and sexuality clinic" (October 21, 2022)

• Laura Santhanam, PBS NewsHour, "Federal judge quashes DOJ subpoena for CHOP transgender youth medical records" (November 21, 2025)

• Oona Goodin-Smith, Philadelphia Inquirer, "DOJ drops appeal of order quashing CHOP transgender patient records subpoena" (May 7, 2026)

• New Jersey Monitor, "Controversial transgender healthcare bill clears key vote in Trenton" (May 12, 2026)

• Oona Goodin-Smith, Philadelphia Inquirer, "Bill to protect gender-affirming care moves forward in New Jersey after emotional hearing" (May 11, 2026)

• Mike Catalini, NorthJersey.com, "Bill to protect gender-affirming care moves forward in New Jersey after emotional hearing" (May 11, 2026)

• Garden State Equality, "New Jersey Senate Health Committee Advances Bill to Protect Gender-Affirming Care" (May 11, 2026)

• Bolts Mag, "New Jersey Governor Signs Law Limiting Police Cooperation With ICE" (March 25, 2026)

• NJ Globe, "Sherrill signs bill barring NJ police from cooperating with ICE" (March 25, 2026)

• NJ Department of Banking and Insurance, Bulletin 23-05: "Health Insurance Coverage of Gender-Affirming Care" (2023)

• New Jersey P.L.2017, c.176 (2017)

• United States v. Skrmetti, 605 U.S. 495 (2025)

• New Jersey Legislature, Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, 2026 Session Roster

• New Jersey Office of the Governor, Executive Order No. 326 (April 4, 2023)

• New Jersey Legislature, S2260 (2026–2027 Regular Session)

• KFF, "New Rule Proposes Changes to ACA Coverage of Gender-Affirming Care, Potentially Increasing Costs for Consumers" (March 24, 2025)

• NJ Legislature, Assembly Health Committee Live Proceedings (May 11, 2026)