Trans lawmaker Zooey Zephyr's bid to return to Montana House rejected by judge

A judge has rejected the emergency motion filed by the lawyers of Zooey Zephyr, a transgender Montana lawmaker, to return to the statehouse House floor and participate in debate. The judge cited the importance of preserving the Constitution’s separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Zephyr was silenced two weeks ago for admonishing Republican lawmakers and was banished from the floor last week for encouraging a raucous statehouse protest. Zephyr and fellow Democrats have denounced her exclusion from floor debates as an assault on free speech that’s intended to silence her criticism of new restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors.