A federal judge on Thursday ordered California 's corrections department to provide a transsexual convicted murderer with sex change surgery , the first time such an operation has been ordered in the state . According to the spokeswoman for the federal receiver , who controls California prison medical care , the surgery could cost taxpayers as much as $ 100,000 . U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco ruled that denying sex reassignment surgery to 51-year-old Michelle-Lael Norsworthy violates her constitutional rights . Right to be a woman : U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco ruled that denying sex reassignment surgery to Michelle-Lael Norsworthy , 51 , pictured last year , violates her constitutional rights . Her birth name is Jeffrey Bryan Norsworthy . Norsworthy has been in prison since 1987 , serving a life sentence for second-degree murder . She has twice delayed her scheduled parole hearings in recent months . The ruling says it would be the second time nationwide that such a surgery has been performed on an inmate , an apparent reference to an inmate who castrated himself in Texas then was given the surgery out of necessity . Norsworthy has lived as a woman since the 1990s and has what Tigar termed severe gender dysphoria . 'The weight of the evidence demonstrates that for Norsworthy , the only adequate medical treatment for her gender dysphoria is SRS , ' Tigar wrote , referring to sex reassignment surgery . He found that the decision by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to deny the procedure was medically unacceptable under the circumstances . Corrections officials said they are considering whether to appeal the ruling . Attorneys for Norsworthy did immediately comment . Paid surgery : Michelle-Lael Norsworthy has been living as a woman since the 1990s and her birth name is Jeffrey Bryan Norsworthy . 'This would be a first for California , said Joyce Hayhoe , a spokeswoman for the federal receiver who controls California prison medical care . The cost to taxpayers for such surgery is uncertain , she said . 'It 's several tens of thousands of dollars , possibly close to $ 100,000 , depending on the circumstances . But It 's hard to estimate , ' Hayhoe said . Corrections officials , in previous court filings , argued that Norsworthy has received proper medical and mental health care for more than 15 years and is in no immediate medical danger if the surgery is not performed . Her care has included counseling , mental health treatment and hormone therapy that the department said 'has changed her physical appearance and voice to that of a woman ' while helping her find her gender identity . That care is consistent with what other judges nationwide have found to be appropriate for transgender inmates , the department said . She currently is housed at Mule Creek State Prison , an all-male prison in Ione , 40 miles southeast of Sacramento . The sex change surgery will prompt practical problems , the department said . The department also said keeping Norsworthy in a men 's prison could invite violence , including possible assault and rape . But she could also face danger at a women 's prison — or pose a threat herself — because she had a history of domestic violence before her murder conviction , the department said . Possible danger of rape : She currently is housed at Mule Creek State Prison , an all-male prison in Ione , 40 miles southeast of Sacramento and there are fears she may be raped when becoming a woman .
Judge ruled that denying sex reassignment surgery to Michelle-Lael Norsworthy violates her constitutional rights . The inmate 's birth name is Jeffrey Bryan Norsworthy . Surgery could cost taxpayers several tens of thousands of dollars and is the first time such an operation has been ordered in California . Norsworthy has been in prison since 1987 , serving a life sentence for second-degree murder .