Court goes against Trump and protects transgender active-duty military personnel

Military members fight to regain positions after declaring themselves trans
The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled a defeat for the Trump administration by ruling that the ban on transgender people from serving in the United States Armed Forces is unconstitutional, as it was motivated "by the pure desire to harm a politically unpopular group".
The measure, however, does not cover trans soldiers who wish to enlist.
The panel of three judges analyzed an injunction against the Pentagon filed by four military personnel who currently serve in the Armed Forces and face expulsion and certified, by a majority of 2 to 1, that the ban carried out by Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, violated their constitutional rights.
Judge Robert Wilkins noted that the plaintiffs in the case have 130 years of military service and have received more than 80 decorations for doing so:
"They served honorably and met all military standards during their service."
He therefore rejected the government's claim that excluding transgender military personnel was intended to protect national security.
"Unless we get carried away by Groucho Marx's old phrase - 'who will you believe, me or your lying eyes?' - we have direct evidence in this case that animosity drove the ratings on the Hegseth Policy," Judge Wilkins wrote.
American soldiers
Lucas Jackson / AP Photo
It is estimated that, by December 2024, 4,200 American soldiers will have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
In the first days of his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that these people "cannot meet the rigorous standards required for military service" regarding readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity and integrity.
The decision to expel military personnel with gender dysphoria was promptly enforced by the Secretary of Defense, who instructed the Pentagon to suspend admissions of transgender people, disqualifying them from military service.
As predicted, Trump's order started a legal battle. A case reached the Supreme Court and, in an emergency decision, its judges understood that the government's ban could be resumed, without giving explanations.
The two judges of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals analyzed that their opinion does not conflict with that of the Supreme Court because it only covers the military personnel named in the case. But Secretary Hegseth bets on the opposite and indicated new developments in the legal imbroglio.
"See you at the Supreme Court", he reacted dryly in a message on platform X.
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Source: G1