Judge Blocks Trump's Ban on Trans Troops

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.)