Appeals court rules Trump policy illegally banned transgender troops from military
The panel said the policy was driven by animus and blocked removals of current troops while leaving the enlistment ban in place.
- 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.
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299 Articles
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The HeartlanderCourt Blocks Trump Transgender Military Ban As Driven By ‘Animus’
By Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal | June 01, 2026 A split federal appeals panel ruled that War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s policy banning transgender military service is unconstitutional. The 2-1 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Monday marks a temporary setback for the Pentagon’s policy. If the policy had gone into effect, it would have affected transgender service members and barred transgender recruits fro…
Appeals Court Deals Major Blow to Trump Military Transgender Ban
By: Paul Goldberg – Senior Correspondent | Breaking Military News WASHINGTON, D.C. — (June 2, 2026) — A divided federal appeals court delivered a significant setback to the Trump administration's effort to remove transgender Americans from military service, ruling that current transgender service members challenging the policy may remain in uniform while the legal battle [...] The post Appeals Court Deals Major Blow to Trump Military Transgender…
Appellate court blocks Trump’s transgender military ban
WASHINGTON, DC—The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a decision in Talbott v. USA upholding a preliminary injunction halting the discharge of transgender service members. The preliminary injunction was issued by District Court Judge Ana Reyes on March 18, 2025. In a forceful order in which Reyes held that the ban undermines national security and is likely unconstitutional, she called it “soaked with animu…
The Trans Military Ban Chaos: How an Appeals Court Just Upended Trump's Executive Order
A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the administration's policy banning transgender individuals from serving in the military is potentially unconstitutional, a decision that directly challenges Trump's executive order. Judges Judith Rogers and Robert Wilkins found the ban prejudiced toward transgender people, which goes against the US Constitution's assurance of equal protection. Rogers and Wilkins agreed to leave in place a preliminary in…
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