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 up to $100,000 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.