Case: Poe v. U.S. Department of Justice
1:26-cv-01552 | U.S. District Court for the District of District of Columbia
Filed Date: May 6, 2026
Case Ongoing
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Case Summary
This case challenges the Department of Justice’s suspension of Prison Rape Elimination Act protections for transgender, intersex, and gender-nonconforming incarcerated people. This case is one of several similar cases brought against the Trump Administration in relationship to Executive Order 14168 issued on January 20, 2025, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
On May 6, 2026, an incarcerated transgender woman proceeding under the pseudonym Paulina Poe filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Represented by attorneys from the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, and private counsel, Poe alleged that DOJ violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) by issuing a memorandum on December 2, 2025, that effectively suspended Prison Rape Elimination Act regulations without notice-and-comment rulemaking. Poe sought declaratory relief, a stay of the memorandum’s implementation, an order requiring defendants to notify regulated facilities that the memorandum was enjoined and the Prison Rape Elimination Act regulations remained in effect, and attorneys’ fees and costs. The case was assigned to District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich.
Poe alleged that the Prison Rape Elimination Act regulations included provisions requiring correctional facilities to assess incarcerated transgender and intersex people’s risk of sexual victimization, make individualized housing and placement decisions, and provide opportunities to shower separately, restrict abusive searches, train staff regarding searches and communication with transgender, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people, and consider whether sexual abuse was motivated by a victim’s gender identity or intersex status. Plaintiff alleged that, on December 2, 2025, DOJ issued a memorandum instructing Prison Rape Elimination Act auditors to disregard all regulations protecting transgender people, stop making compliance determinations related to those regulations, and stop requiring correcting action based on prior noncompliance. According to Poe, the memorandum effectively rescinded binding regulations without the notice-and-comment procedures required by the APA. Poe further alleged that she was housed in a men’s facility, had been sexually assaulted, had been searched by male officers, and faced heightened risks of sexual violence after DOJ suspended enforcement of the Prison Rape Elimination Act protections.
As of June 2026, DOJ had not yet responded to the complaint, and the case remained ongoing.
Summary Authors
Niam Vora (6/10/2026)
People
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73303035/parties/poe-v-us-department-of-justice/
Friedrich, Dabney Langhorne (District of Columbia)
Kraner, Natalie J. (District of Columbia)
Lareau, Alyssa (District of Columbia)
Shalom, Alexander (District of Columbia)
Documents in the Clearinghouse
Resources
Docket
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73303035/poe-v-us-department-of-justice/
Last updated July 22, 2026, 3:17 a.m.
Case Details
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: May 6, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Incarcerated transgender woman challenging the Department of Justice's suspension of Prison Rape Elimination Act protections applicable to transgender, intersex, and gender-nonconforming incarcerated people.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders)
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Federal
United States Department of Justice
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 551 et seq.
Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201
Other Dockets:
District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-01552
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Discrimination Area:
Discrimination Basis:
Affected Sex/Gender(s):
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Placement in detention facilities
Strip search policy (facilities)
LGBTQ+:
Case Summary of Poe v. U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/48137/ (last updated 6/10/2026).