A federal judge issued a significant ruling that temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military.
The decision, celebrated by civil rights advocates and criticized by some conservative voices, marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal battle over transgender rights in the armed forces.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, appointed by President Joe Biden, delivered the ruling in Washington, D.C., asserting that the ban likely violates the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on sex discrimination.
According to The Hindu, Reyes found that the executive order, signed by Trump on January 27, 2025, infringed upon the constitutional rights of transgender service members.
The lawsuit challenging the ban was brought by 20 current and prospective transgender military personnel, many of whom are decorated veterans, as noted by HuffPost.
The judge’s decision allows the case to proceed while blocking the military from enforcing the ban in the interim.
The Trump administration’s order aimed to bar transgender individuals from enlisting and halt gender-affirming medical care for active-duty service members, claiming it was necessary to maintain “military excellence and readiness.”
The policy argued that transgender troops imposed unique and prohibitive costs, particularly related to mental health and wellness visits. However, Judge Reyes sharply questioned these assertions during a contentious March 12 hearing.
HuffPost reported that she grilled Justice Department attorneys on the evidence supporting the ban, pointing out inconsistencies in the government’s claims.
Reyes emphasized that higher wellness visit rates among transgender service members could stem from factors unrelated to gender identity, cautioning, “We have to be careful with how we use this data.”
The ruling aligns with a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision that classified employment discrimination against transgender individuals as a form of illegal sex discrimination.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit leaned heavily on this precedent, arguing that the military ban was similarly unconstitutional.
The Hill noted that the judge’s decision has set the stage for a likely appeal from the Department of Justice, with legal experts predicting the issue could escalate to the Supreme Court.
“Questions over Trump’s ban on transgender troops are almost certainly headed to the Supreme Court,” HuffPost stated, underscoring the high stakes of the case.
