Appeals court rules Trump policy illegally banned transgender troops from military
The ruling protects current service members while letting the Pentagon keep the ban on new recruits as the case continues, with a stay possible.
- On Monday, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a ruling blocking the administration of President Donald Trump from removing current transgender service members from the military, while allowing the ban on new recruits to continue.
- In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order claiming transgender identity harms military readiness, prompting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to issue a policy disqualifying individuals with gender dysphoria from service.
- Judge Robert Wilkins wrote that the policy "appears to be driven by the bare desire to harm" a politically unpopular group, finding it likely violates equal protection guarantees under the Constitution.
- The ruling preserves service for approximately 4,200 current transgender troops, upholding a preliminary injunction issued by District Judge Ana Reyes that prevents their discharge while the lawsuit continues.
- Shannon Minter, an attorney for the Plaintiff, called the decision "a huge relief for these service members and their families," though he expects the government to seek a stay and appeal to the Supreme Court.
179 Articles
179 Articles
Donald Trump's crackdown on transgender troops ruled ILLEGAL as White House vows: 'We'll see you in court'
Donald Trump's crackdown on transgender troops serving in the US military has been ruled illegal by a federal court in a fresh blow to the White House's agenda. The ruling came from a divided three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit on Monday.Judges claimed the Trump administration specifically drummed up the policy to bar individuals from serving based on their gender identity.Though despite their ruling…
Split appeals court says military transgender ban is unconstitutional
A split panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found that War Secretary Pete Hegseth had acted unconstitutionally when he ordered a ban on transgender-identifying members of the military.Two of the three judges said a preliminary injunction could stay in force against the Pentagon keeping transgender-identifying plaintiffs out of the military.'We have direct evidence in this case that animus motivated the classifications in the …
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