ST. LOUIS (AP) – A federal district court in St. Louis has ruled that the Missouri state prison system must provide hormone therapy for a transgender inmate serving a murder sentence.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the judge’s ruling Friday follows court decisions in other states that have found unconstitutional the practice of denying hormone therapy for transgender inmates who weren’t receiving the treatment before they were jailed.

The ruling grants in part a preliminary injunction filed on behalf of Jessica Hicklin, a 37-year old inmate serving life in prison without parole for first-degree murder. Hicklin is in the process of transitioning to a woman.

Hicklin’s lawsuit against the Department of Corrections and its health care provider is set for trial in May.