WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court has refused to allow the Bureau of Prisons to immediately reinstate sweeping restrictions on gender-affirming medical care for incarcerated transgender people, finding the government failed to make the strong showing necessary to suspend a lower court injunction while its appeal proceeds.

In an order filed Sept. 18, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the Trump administration’s request to stay an Aug. 26 preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of Bureau of Prisons Program Statement 5260.01.

The appellate court did not issue a final ruling on the legality of the BOP policy. Instead, Judges Robert Wilkins and Bradley Garcia concluded the government had failed to satisfy the stringent requirements necessary to obtain a stay pending appeal. Judge Justin Walker dissented.