Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
What happened
The Supreme Court Tuesday said the Trump administration's ban on transgender military service members could go into force while the policy is litigated in a lower court. The justices did not explain their decision, which the court's three liberal justices opposed.
Who said what
The Pentagon said transgender troops would be banned and purged after President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling transgender identity a "falsehood" conflicting with "a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful and disciplined lifestyle." Two federal judges blocked the ban in March. One stay was paused by an appellate panel in Washington, D.C., but the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to lift a nationwide injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle, a George W. Bush appointee.
Settle said the government's "unrelenting reliance on deference to military judgment is unjustified in the absence of any evidence" presented to justify forcing out honorably serving transgender troops. Government lawyers argued that "federal judges were overstepping their bounds by intruding on" Trump's authority to "supervise the armed forces," Politico said. The Supreme Court's sanctioning of Trump's sweeping "government-imposed bigotry" is "shameful," Mark Joseph Stern said at Slate, and the terse, "unreasoned brush-off" of Settle's "diligent, top-to-bottom evisceration" of the government's rationale is "especially galling."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The case returns to the 9th Circuit. But the Supreme Court's lifting of Settle's hold "is a strong indicator that the administration is ultimately likely to prevail," NPR said.
-
Political cartoons for February 15Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include political ventriloquism, Europe in the middle, and more
-
The broken water companies failing England and WalesExplainer With rising bills, deteriorating river health and a lack of investment, regulators face an uphill battle to stabilise the industry
-
A thrilling foodie city in northern JapanThe Week Recommends The food scene here is ‘unspoilt’ and ‘fun’
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
