Appeals Court Declines to Delay Block on Trans Troop Ban

UPDATE Apr 1, 2025 1:30 AM CDT

The Trump administration's attempt to ban transgender troops from serving in the military was dealt another setback Monday when the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals declined the administration's request to put a lower court ruling on hold, which theoretically would have allowed the ban to be enforced. The administration is appealing a ruling out of Washington state last week that blocked the ban on transgender troops, Reuters reports. It is also appealing a separate case, in which a Washington DC judge similarly blocked its trans troop ban earlier this month; in that case, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit last week declined to uphold that judge's block, but indicated it would reconsider should the administration take action against any service members while it further considers the matter, Reuters reports.

Mar 19, 2025 1:00 AM CDT

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Trump's executive order that led to an effective ban on transgender troops from serving in the military, ruling that the Pentagon cannot enforce it because it is discriminatory and in violation of the constitution's equal protection clause. In a 79-page ruling, US District Judge Ana Reyes said the order is "soaked in animus" for transgender people, Politico reports. Reyes' preliminary injunction bars the Defense Department from enacting a policy, announced last month, that would effectively boot trans troops, the Washington Post reports.

"The cruel irony is that thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed—some risking their lives—to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them," Reyes, a Biden appointee, wrote. She also noted that neither the executive order nor the ensuing policy provide any proof that "transgender military service is inconsistent with military readiness." Trump adviser Stephen Miller was quick to respond, the Washington Times reports. "District court judges have now decided they are in command of the armed forces," he posted on social media. "Is there no end to this madness?" (Judges have also halted Trump's plan to pull funding from providers of gender-affirming health care to trans youth.)