Maryland AG Joins Multistate Effort to Shield Medical Organizations from Federal Interference

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a coalition of state attorneys general in filing two amicus briefs in support of professional medical organizations that are facing investigations from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The briefs aim to protect the Endocrine Society (ES) and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) from what the coalition describes as politically motivated demands for extensive internal information, which they argue could undermine public health and the ability of states to rely on expert medical guidance.

The FTC has issued Civil Investigative Demands to both the ES and WPATH, seeking detailed information about their deliberative processes, communications, advocacy efforts, educational programs, and financial records. These organizations have subsequently filed lawsuits challenging these demands, asserting that the FTC’s actions are driven by the Trump administration’s desire to suppress recommendations that conflict with its policies, rather than a genuine concern for healthcare safety. The attorneys general backing ES and WPATH are supporting their efforts to obtain a court order to block these broad information requests.

The coalition’s amicus briefs argue that these federal investigations are not about ensuring safe healthcare but rather about stifling the voices of medical experts whose findings may not align with the administration’s agenda. Attorney General Brown emphasized that Maryland residents deserve to base their health decisions on scientific evidence and consensus, not on ideological viewpoints. He highlighted that states are the primary regulators of healthcare and depend on the integrity and accuracy of recommendations from respected professional organizations like the ES and WPATH to inform state public health policies. Interference with these organizations’ ability to operate without political pressure could compromise the quality and reliability of the guidance states rely upon.

According to the coalition, the targeting of these medical organizations is part of a perceived pattern by the Trump administration to challenge widely accepted public health and medical recommendations. This pattern is said to include issuing guidance that often contradicts established medical consensus on various issues, ranging from childhood vaccinations to the safety of medications for pregnant individuals. The attorneys general are urging the court to grant preliminary injunctions to halt the FTC’s investigative demands.

This action follows a similar move on March 10, when Attorney General Brown participated in a coalition of 19 attorneys general supporting the American Academy of Pediatrics in their legal challenge against comparable data demands from the Trump administration. The states involved in the ES brief alongside Maryland include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. The WPATH brief includes nearly the same group, with New York notably absent from the list of signatories.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the Maryland Attorney General.

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