Transgender troops can remain in US military, but enlistment can be blocked, court rules
Split decision deals blow to Trump administration’s anti-diversity agenda, calling the ban ‘arbitrary, and based on animus’
TL;DR
- Transgender troops are allowed to remain in the US military based on an appeals court ruling.
- The armed services can still block the enlistment of new transgender recruits.
- The court's majority opinion described the ban as "arbitrary, and based on animus."
- The ruling upholds a preliminary injunction that prevented the dismissal of six active-duty transgender plaintiffs.
- The government intends to appeal the decision, potentially to the US Supreme Court.
- The Trump administration's order claimed transgender identity conflicts with military commitment and harms readiness.
- A dissenting judge argued that the judiciary should not make military composition decisions.