Judge considers whether to hear Warren County transgender teens’ name change lawsuit

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Credit: WCPO

Credit: WCPO

Three transgender teenagers from Warren County will have to wait a little longer to find out whether a federal judge will hear their case to change their legal names.

RELATED: Warren County judge’s lawyers: Dismiss transgender name change lawsuit

U.S. District Court Judge William Bertelsman said Wednesday he won’t release his decision until next week at the earliest, our news partner WCPO-TV in Cincinnati reported.

The families of the three transgender teens are suing Warren County Probate and Juvenile Court Judge Joseph Kirby following his ruling earlier this year refusing to allow a name change for a 15-year-old from Mason. The lawsuit states Kirby “has a pattern of treating name change requests from transgender adolescents differently than other name requests.”

RELATED: Warren County judge rejects transgender teen’s name change; family appeals

The plaintiffs said the lawsuit is necessary to get the case in federal court and heard on its constitutional merits. The defendants said it could set a dangerous precedent allowing people upset with court rulings to skip appellate courts, WCPO reported.

Bertelsman will decide whether to dismiss the case, hear it or abstain and allow the state to decide.

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