By Ted Eytan
The Trump administration requested that the Supreme Court permit the enforcement of a prohibition against transgender individuals serving in the military, pending the resolution of ongoing legal challenges on thursday.
The recent filing in the high court follows a succinct order from a federal appeals court that upheld a nationwide injunction against the policy. President Donald Trump enacted an executive order shortly after taking office, asserting that the sexual identity of transgender service members is incompatible with the values of honor, truthfulness, and discipline expected of soldiers, even in their private lives, and poses a threat to military readiness.
In reaction, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth implemented a policy that automatically disqualifies transgender individuals from serving in the military. However, in March, US District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Washington, ruled in favor of several long-serving transgender military personnel who argued that the ban is both insulting and discriminatory, and that their dismissal would inflict irreparable harm on their careers and reputations.
Judge Settle noted that the Trump administration provided no justification for the sudden prohibition of transgender troops, who have been able to serve openly for the past four years without any reported issues. Judge Settle, appointed by President George W. Bush, is also a former captain in the US Army Judge Advocate General Corps.
