in World News Pentagon Enforces Transgender Ban as Biden Judge Warns DOJ of Legal Fallout, Possible Court Ruling This Week
The U.S. military is undergoing major policy changes regarding transgender service members following a Presidential Trump directive to ban transgenders from service in the U.S. military.
The ongoing federal litigation challenging this policy. A ruling is expected on Tuesday or Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden-appointed judge, has expressed skepticism and indicated her likely hostility towards Trump’s transgender ban.
The judge was quoted by the Associated Press as saying of transgender troops: “They have to essentially be in hiding while in service.”
The judge was quoted in this ABC story as saying she believed transgenders only had a higher risk of suicide because of discrimination. The judge said the DOJ ‘cherry picked’ evidence and examples to support its claims that transgenders were unfit for military service.
The ongoing litigation contends that Trump’s order violates transgender people’s rights to equal protection under the Fifth Amendment.
On February 26, 2025, the DoD implemented President Trump’s Executive Order 14183, titled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.”
The policy prohibits transgender individuals from serving openly in the U.S. military and bars those diagnosed with gender dysphoria or related conditions from enlistment, appointment, or retention.