Court blocks White House order to expel transgender troops

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Tuesday ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration cannot bar transgender individuals from serving in the military. The judge, who was appointed under former President Joe Biden, said the policy was demeaning and stigmatized transgender people as inherently unfit. Reyes paused her preliminary injunction until Friday morning as the administration is expected to appeal her decision to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. The injunction temporarily prevents the Trump administration from enforcing the order while a process plays out in court.

What was the order? Trump in January issued an executive order excluding individuals from military service who express false gender identities divergent from their biological sexes. The order cited the Department of Defense’s policy of ensuring all service members are free from physical or mental medical conditions that may require ongoing and long-term treatment or hospitalization. Trump in January also issued an executive order stating that the federal government only recognized two unchangeable sexes. That order applied to the military along with all other branches of the government. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month issued a policy excluding individuals with gender dysphoria from military service.

Who sued the administration? GLGBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, known as GLAD Law, along with the National Center for Lesbian Rights in January filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of six active service members and two individuals who were seeking to enlist. Another 12 plaintiffs have since joined the case. Last month, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Lambda Legal filed another federal lawsuit against the administration’s policy.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s report about the Department of Veterans Affairs ending coverage for transgender interventions.