Trump Justice Department Dangles $25,000 Bonuses to Lawyers Targeting Trans Youth

The Trump Justice Department is sweetening the pot with $25,000 bonuses for lawyers willing to take on the administration’s war on transgender youth, according to Bloomberg Law. New job listings in the Civil Division specifically seek attorneys interested in investigating gender-affirming care for minors — a move that signals a disturbing escalation in targeting trans kids’ healthcare.

This comes amid a severe attorney shortage at the Department of Justice, which has shrunk from roughly 10,000 lawyers under Obama to just 5,500 by last November, according to the American Bar Association. To keep boots on the ground, the DOJ is also dangling retention incentives ranging from $60 to $220 per pay period for attorneys who stick around to enforce Trump’s agenda in court.

At the heart of this crackdown is Trump’s executive order titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which bans gender-related healthcare for anyone under 19. This order targets puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and other treatments that affirm transgender youth’s identities. But federal courts have repeatedly pushed back against these efforts, citing violations of medical privacy and patient confidentiality. States have also resisted, leading to multiple legal defeats for the DOJ.

Despite these setbacks, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears undeterred, ramping up recruitment to fuel ongoing litigation. The DOJ continues to defend Trump’s anti-trans policies in court, including the transgender military ban and passport restrictions. Judges have repeatedly challenged the administration’s rationale, exposing the flimsy legal grounds for these discriminatory policies.

Recent court rulings have blocked the DOJ from forcing hospitals to hand over medical records of trans youth. Courts in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island have all denied or quashed demands for sensitive patient information, underscoring the judiciary’s resistance to the administration’s invasive tactics.

This aggressive recruitment drive and the persistent legal battles reveal a Justice Department doubling down on anti-trans discrimination, weaponizing the law to undermine transgender rights despite clear judicial rebukes. The stakes couldn’t be higher for trans youth and their families, who face relentless attacks from an administration bent on erasing their identities and denying essential healthcare.

We will continue to track these developments and expose the Trump administration’s authoritarian overreach targeting vulnerable communities.