The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a stay allowing the Trump administration to ban troops who identify as transgender while litigation plays out in a lower court.
A majority of justices agreed to enter a stay of a preliminary injunction issued by a US district judge in March, pending the disposition of an appeal.
Opposing the stay, of course, were Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The decision is a big loss for seven transgender men, led by lead plaintiff Emily Schilling, a Navy commander, who sued to block the Trump admin from busting her balls.
"Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a devastating blow to transgender service members who have demonstrated their capabilities and commitment to our nation’s defense," said Lambda Legal and Human Rights Campaign Foundation - two groups representing the plaintiffs, said in a joint statement, adding that the policy "has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice."
In a separate case, a judge in Washington, D.C., also blocked the policy nationwide, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit put that ruling on hold temporarily while it heard arguments on whether to block it more permanently. The court has yet to rule.
The policy, announced in February, is much more comprehensive ban than a similar proposal implemented during the first Trump term. It "generally disqualifies from military service individuals who have gender dysphoria or have undergone medical interventions for gender dysphoria," Solicitor General D. John Sauer said in court papers. -NBC News
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a fiery speech on Tuesday that the US military will return to a warrior ethos.
"We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind. No more pronouns, no more climate change obsession, no more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that shit," he said, adding "We’re focused on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness."
