An Obama-appointed federal judge whom the Trump Department of Justice previously sued for obstructing immigration enforcement has issued a preliminary injunction against the administration’s passport policy requiring a transgender person’s biological sex to be listed on their passport.Chief U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III in Maryland ruled that the policy must be halted for six transgender and “nonbinary” plaintiffs, citing “irreparable harm.”The lawsuit was brought by seven individuals, backed by the leftist LGBTQ group Lambda Legal, who claimed the policy of having to list their actual sex infringes on their rights.Judge Russell stated in his order, “Like every other court that has considered this Executive Order, the Court finds its stated purpose does not serve an important governmental interest that is exceedingly persuasive.” He further noted that the “discriminatory means employed are not substantially related to the achievement of those objectives.”While dismissing one plaintiff who hadn’t faced denial, Russell granted relief to the others, ordering the State Department to process their applications with preferred gender markers.President Trump signed an executive order shortly after his inauguration, which directed agencies like the State Department and Homeland Security to issue IDs, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, based solely on biological sex assigned at birth. This reversed prior allowances for self-selected genders, including “X” for unspecified.This marks the second federal court to strike down the policy recently, following a similar ruling in Boston.Lambda Legal attorney Carl Charles praised the decision, saying, “This is a crucial victory for our clients and transgender people nationwide who have been trapped by this administration’s cruel and discriminatory policy. The court recognized that forcing inaccurate identity documents on transgender Americans causes immediate and irreparable harm.”Judge Russell III, nominated by Obama in 2011 and confirmed in 2012, has a track record of decisions that favor progressive causes.Most notably, in May, as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Russell implemented a standing order automatically pausing deportations for two business days upon the filing of a habeas corpus petition by detained immigrants, a policy critics slammed as judicial overreach undermining border security.This prompted the Trump DOJ to file a groundbreaking lawsuit in June against all 15 Maryland federal district judges, including Russell, accusing them of interfering with executive authority and violating the separation of powers.The suit sought to block the order, arguing it created an unlawful “automatic stay” that halted lawful deportations.While the case was dismissed in August 2025 by another judge who acknowledged the “not normal times,” it underscored Russell’s position as an activist judge.The post Obama-Appointed Activist Judge, Previously Sued by Trump DOJ for Blocking Deportations, Halts Policy Mandating Biological Sex on Transgender People’s Passports appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.