Transgender troops ban, nationwide freeze argued in U.S. appeals court

Source: Nebraska Examiner

By: Ashley Murray - April 22, 2025 6:21 pm

WASHINGTON — A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday grilled the Trump administration and the attorney for transgender service members who won a lower court order reversing President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender troops.

One judge on the panel voiced serious concerns about the lack of evidence the Defense Department cited when instituting the ban, while another expressed skepticism that the lower court’s nationwide order — instead of applying only to the transgender individuals who brought the case — was appropriate.

Administration officials appealed the case to the D.C. Circuit after district Judge Ana Reyes, appointed by former President Joe Biden, granted a broad preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order.

Eight active-duty service members and transgender individuals who are actively pursuing enlistment in the armed forces brought the case against Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, among other officials and three branches of the U.S. military.


A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard arguments at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse on April 22, 2025, over President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military. (U.S. General Services Administration photo)


Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/22/repub/transgender-troops-ban-nationwide-freeze-argued-in-u-s-appeals-court/