Tennessee is one of two dozen states that ban gender-affirming care, so the court's decision could have broad implications.

Assessing the court’s ultimate direction was complicated by the silence of one justice in the conservative majority, Neil M. Gorsuch, the author of a key case on employment discrimination. The court’s decision is expected by June.

The case is the first to come before the Supreme Court testing the constitutionality of laws barring transgender teens from certain gender-affirming treatments.