A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has once again blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to ban transgender people from serving in the military. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a lesbian and an immigrant from Uruguay, rejected the Department of Justice’s emergency motion to dissolve an injunction she issued last week. That ruling stopped the enforcement of Executive Order 14183 and related Pentagon guidance, which targeted service members with a diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria. The DOJ argued that the Pentagon had narrowed the policy to apply only to those with a current medical condition.
But Reyes was unconvinced, calling the government’s reasoning “unpersuasive.” In a strongly worded 16-page decision, she reaffirmed that the ban was based on anti-trans bias rather than legitimate military concerns. Reyes also criticized a new military policy requiring all 1.3 million active-duty troops to self-report whether they’ve ever experienced gender dysphoria. She compared the process to “rummaging through private medical records.”
Though Reyes granted a short administrative stay until Friday evening, the DOJ is expected to appeal the decision to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. In her ruling, Reyes expressed gratitude to transgender service members, writing, “The Court, again, thanks them. All.” House Speaker Mike Johnson and the Trump Administration have suggested the defunding and closing of selected Federal court circuits as a result of the ruling.
