FIRST ON FOX: Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is appealing a
federal judge's decision to allow an inmate � incarcerated for
murdering his 11-month-old stepchild � sex reassignment surgery
following the inmate's lawsuit against the state's correctional
facility.

"We were very clear that we disagreed with the judge's decision in this
case, and now we are officially appealing," Rokita told Fox News
Digital. "Prisoners like the convicted baby murderer in this case don�t
have a constitutional right to gender transition surgeries, much less
to have taxpayers foot the bill."

"We will continue doing our duty to defend Indiana�s commonsense
laws," he said.

Indiana Judge Rules Prison Must Provide Transgender Surgery For Inmate
Who Killed Baby

Fox News Digital first learned that Rokita filed the intent to appeal
notice on Wednesday morning.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Indiana Department
of Corrections last year on behalf of a transgender inmate, Jonathan C.
Richardson, also known as Autumn Cordellion�, who was convicted of
strangling his 11-month-old stepdaughter to death in 2001.

Read On The Fox News App

Indiana law, however, prohibits the Department of Corrections from
using taxpayer dollars to fund sex reassignment surgeries for inmates.
However, the ACLU argues in the lawsuit, filed on Aug. 28, 2023, that
the law is a violation of the Eighth Amendment�s prohibition of "cruel
and unusual punishment."

Aclu Sues Indiana Over Denial Of Sex Reassignment Surgery For Inmate
Who Strangled 11-Month-old To Death

The surgery for Cordellione�, who is serving out a 55-year prison
sentence for reckless homicide, "is a medical necessity," according to
the ACLU lawsuit.

Judge Richard Young agreed with the ACLU's claims and ruled in favor of
Cordellione� last month.

"Specifically, Ms. Cordellione� has shown that her gender dysphoria is
a serious medical need, and that, despite other treatments Defendant
has provided her to treat her gender dysphoria, she requires gender-
affirming surgery to prevent a risk of serious bodily and psychological
harm," the ruling states.

In a separate lawsuit last year, Cordellione� filed a civil lawsuit
against the prison chaplain for allegedly prohibiting him from wearing
a hijab outside his immediate bed quarters, despite identifying as a
Muslim woman.

According to court documents, Cordellione� strangled his then-wife�s
11-month-year old daughter to death while she was at work on Sept. 12,
2001.

During Cordellione�'s initial interview with one of the detectives, he
was calm and "unemotional" when recounting what happened, court
documents from Indiana's Court of Appeals show.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/violent-convicts-taxpayer-funded-sex-
change-challenged-state-ag-after-judges-approval