President Donald Trump’s attempt to prohibit the transgender people of military service continues an unfortunate history of armed services that exclude marginalized persons from the “privilege of serving,” wrote a federal judge on Tuesday night.
In a 79 -page decision, the United States District Judge, Ana Reyes, blocked the Trump administration to promulgate politics and offered a scathing reprimand of the development of the policy pentagon.
“The opinion of the court is long, but its premise is simple. In the obvious truth that all people are created the same, everything means everything else. And certainly nothing less,” Judge Reyes wrote.
The ruling occurred as part of Talbott vs. Trump, a lawsuit filed on January 28 at the United States District Court for the Columbia district by LGBTQ+ Glad Law defense groups and the National Lesbian Rights Center on behalf of six members of the Transgender Active Service Service.
Anticipating the appeal of the Trump administration, Reyes delayed his decision to enter into force until Friday so that the Department of Justice could ask a superior court to maintain his order.
In A publication in X On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegesh promised to appeal the ruling.
“We are appealing this decision and we will win,” he published.
During a press conference on Wednesday morning after the judge’s decision, the second Lieutenant Nicholas Talbott and Major Erica Vandal, both plaintiffs in the lawsuit, expressed relief and said they hope to continue serving their country.
“[This preliminary injunction] It has provided great relief to me and my family, personally, along with the numerous affected, “said Vandal.” It is a massive burden that rose to know that I can continue to provide my wife and my two children, while my career and my lifelong passion continue as a field artillery officer. “
Lieutenant Talbott, squad leader in the US Army reserve.
“The members of the transgender service are as qualified, competent and dedicated as any other military member, and we are delighted to continue with our uniforms and perform the work for which we have worked so hard in the service of our country,” Talbott said.
Talbott said he is “sure” that the court “will continue to find that transgender people do not have a negative relationship in the United States Army.”
In an interview with ABC News Live, Talbott said: “For me, it has been as if a great weight has suddenly removed.
A memorandum of the Department of Defense last month said that the Pentagon must form a procedure to identify the transgender troops before March 26 and separate them from the army before June 25, unless they receive an exemption. This includes service members who receive some type of treatment or hormones for that diagnosis of gender dysphoria, as well as those who have gone through surgery that affirms gender.
President Donald Trump signs two executive orders and speaks with the press at the Oval Office of the White House on January 30, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Kent Nishimura for Washington Post through Getty Images
According to Reyes, the Trump administration did not justify the policy articulating its impact on military preparation, damaged thousands of members of the transgender service and probably violated the constitution of the United States.
“The president has the power, in fact the obligation, to guarantee military preparation. Sometimes, leaders have used concern for military preparation to deny marginalized people the privilege of serving,” Reyes wrote.
“[Fill in the blank] It is not completely capable and will hinder the effectiveness of combat; [fill in the blank] will interrupt the cohesion of the unit and decrease military effectiveness; permitted [fill in the blank] Serve will undermine training, it will make it impossible to recruit successfully and interrupt the military order, “he added.” First minorities, then women in combat, then the gays filled that blank space. Today, however, our army is stronger and our nation is safer for the millions of blank (and all other people) that serve. “
While the judge acknowledged that the Judiciary should generally differ from military leadership, he said that allowing the policy to be applied would be her following the “blindly” pentagon after justified the policy with “pure conjecture” during multiple judicial hearings.
“The Court knows that this opinion will lead to a heated public debate and appeals. In a healthy democracy, both are positive results. We must all agree, however, each person who has responded to the call to serve deserves our gratitude and respect. For what Elmer Davis observed ‘,'[t]His nation will continue to be the land of the free whenever the home of the brave. The court extends its thanks to all the current members and veterans of service. Thank you, “the judge concluded his opinion.
The White House Cabinet Deputy Director Stephen Miller responded to the judge’s order in x On Tuesday night, saying: “The judges of the District Court have decided that they are in charge of the Armed Forces … Is there no end for this madness?”
Jennifer Levi and Shannon Minter, lawyers representing the plaintiffs in Talbott. VS Trump, welcomed the preliminary court order during the press conference on Wednesday.
MINTER said he has the hope that as the case progresses, he will result in a “permanent court order”, because the “legal basis of the decision is very strong.”
Levi said that while the Trump administration could seek an emergency stay, she has “hope” that the judge would deny him.
“We anticipate that [the Trump administration] You can appeal this, you can look for an emergency stay to try to obtain emergency relief. I think I hope that does not happen, “Levi said.” But I believe that the easiest course, in reality, for the military at this time, is to continue preserving these people in active duty and let them continue doing their job. “
Meanwhile, Talbott and Vandal acknowledged that the fight is not over.
“Ultimately, the relief I feel at this time is attenuated by the knowledge that this fight is far from finishing,” Vandal said.
“We are ready, and we will continue to appear every day, put on our uniforms and do our best,” Talbott added.
There are currently 4,240 members of active duty, the National Guard and the Reserve Service that have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, said an ABC News defense official.
