A federal judge in Massachusetts has blocked the Trump administration from subpoenaing medical records of transgender patients at Boston Children’s Hospital, ruling the Justice Department’s request improper and politically motivated.

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun issued the decision Tuesday, finding that the subpoena “was motivated only by bad faith.” The ruling prevents federal investigators from obtaining years of highly sensitive patient files, many involving minors who received gender-affirming care.

The Justice Department said it needed the records to investigate possible healthcare fraud and off-label drug promotion. Joun rejected that explanation, concluding the demand for individual patient records did not match the stated purpose. “The true purpose of issuing the subpoena is to interfere with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ right to protect gender-affirming care, to harass and intimidate Boston Children’s Hospital, and to dissuade patients from seeking such care,” the judge wrote.

Boston Children’s Hospital asked the court in July to quash the subpoena, calling the request overly broad and invasive. Hospital officials argued that federal authorities sought nearly every document related to gender-affirming care over the past five years, including personally identifiable information about young patients.

The dispute comes as part of a broader Justice Department campaign. In June, officials announced that the agency would prioritize investigations into what it described as “radical gender experimentation.” Attorney General Pam Bondi said more than 20 subpoenas had been sent nationwide to providers of transgender health care. Those requests went beyond billing and policy records to seek patient-level data on prescriptions for puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

Gender-affirming care includes counseling, medications that delay puberty, and hormone treatments that help align physical traits with gender identity. Surgeries for minors are uncommon, but major medical associations endorse such treatment as essential for individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

At least 27 states have adopted restrictions or bans on gender-affirming care for minors, while states including Massachusetts have enacted laws protecting access. Joun cited those constitutional protections in his decision, raising further doubts about the Justice Department’s legal basis for its investigation.

The Justice Department has not said whether it will appeal.