The U.S. Supreme Court has granted permission for the Trump administration to proceed with its policy banning transgender individuals from serving in the military, even as multiple legal challenges against the controversial measure remain unresolved in lower courts.
The decision, delivered through an unsigned order on Monday, effectively lifts a nationwide injunction previously issued by U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in March. Judge Reyes had halted the policy, citing constitutional concerns and describing its language as “unabashedly demeaning.” The judge argued that the ban violates the equal protection rights of transgender Americans wishing to serve their country.
Reinstated shortly after former President Donald Trump’s return to office in January, the military policy states that allowing individuals whose gender identity does not match their biological sex would “erode military readiness, good order, and discipline.” The rules call for the discharge of current transgender service members and prohibit new enlistments.
The Supreme Court’s decision was met with swift criticism from LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations. Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation issued statements condemning the ruling, describing the policy as “driven by prejudice, not military necessity.”
“Transgender people have served honorably and capably in every branch of our military,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “This unjust and baseless ban only weakens our armed forces and undermines the nation’s core values of fairness and equality.”
Notably, the Court’s liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — publicly dissented, signaling deep divisions within the nation’s highest judicial body over civil rights issues.
As legal battles continue, the immediate implementation of the policy is expected to affect thousands of transgender service members currently serving openly in the U.S. military. Human rights advocates warn that the decision could also set a troubling precedent for other areas of anti-discrimination protections in the country.
The Trump administration has defended the move, asserting that the policy is essential for maintaining military effectiveness and cohesion, though multiple studies and military leaders have previously disputed claims that transgender inclusion compromises operational readiness.
This marks one of the first major Supreme Court decisions of Trump’s new term, and one likely to further intensify the national debate over LGBTQ+ rights in the United States.