The Center for Constitutional Rights and Southern Poverty Law Center lawsuit, Diamond v. Ward, filed on behalf of Ashley Diamond, proceeds to trial on January 19, 2023 before Chief Judge Marc T. Treadwell in the District Court for the Middle District of Georgia in Macon. The trial is expected to end on or before January 27.

In 2015, Ashley Diamond, a Black trans woman incarcerated in a men’s prison in Georgia, filed a lawsuit that made national headlines and secured reforms in prisons’ treatment of trans people in Georgia and nationwide. Despite these reforms following her reincarceration after her arrest for a technical parole violation, Ashley argues that the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) continued to deny her vital health care and failed to transfer her to a female facility or otherwise protect her from repeated sexual assaults. In November 2020, she filed a second lawsuit to hold GDC accountable. Although she was released from prison in August 2022, the lawsuit continues as Ashley seeks damages for her treatment and hopes her case leads to lasting change.