OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in submitting an amicus brief supporting a motion to quash the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ)’s subpoena against Rhode Island Hospital (RIH) seeking information regarding the provision of gender-affirming care to minors. In Friday's brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that U.S. DOJ relies on a misinterpretation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) that would severely damage not just the administration of transgender healthcare, but many other fields of medicine.

“The Trump Administration continues to chase its hateful agenda against transgender Americans in another baseless attempt to access transgender patients’ health records,” said Attorney General Bonta. “U.S. DOJ seeks to justify its behavior with an incorrect interpretation of the law that would threaten patients’ abilities to receive the most effective treatments across multiple fields of medicine, not just gender-affirming care. We are committed to defending patients and the providers they trust from federal overreach. We will fight to protect the well-being of transgender individuals and ensure all Americans retain access to top-notch medical care.”

On July 3, 2025, U.S. DOJ issued an administrative subpoena against RIH, seeking records related to the provision of gender-affirming care to minors, allegedly to investigate potential violations of the FDCA. On April 30, 2026, U.S. DOJ filed a petition in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas seeking to enforce the subpoena. On May 4, the Rhode Island Office of the Child Advocate (Child Advocate) filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island seeking to quash the subpoena.

In Friday’s amicus brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition support Child Advocate’s motion to quash the subpoena. In the brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that:

• U.S. DOJ justifies its subpoena based on a wrongful claim that prescribing and administering drugs for off-label uses is prohibited by the FDCA.
• U.S. DOJ’s wrongful interpretation of the FDCA would jeopardize entire fields of medicine beyond transgender healthcare, as many fields frequently prescribe drugs for off-label purposes.

Attorney General Bonta is committed to defending medical providers and their patients from overreach and intimidation by the Trump Administration. On January 26, 2026, Attorney General Bonta joined a multistate amicus brief opposing a U.S. DOJ subpoena against telemedicine platform QueerDoc seeking information and documents regarding on QueerDoc’s provision of gender-affirming care, including personally identifiable information for QueerDoc’s patients. Attorney General Bonta joined amicus briefs opposing similar U.S. DOJ subpoenas against University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Children’s Hospital Colorado.

In filing Friday’s amicus brief, Attorney General Bonta joined the Attorneys General of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.