Lawyers representing transgender service members are accusing the Trump Justice Department of misleading a federal appeals court about the enforcement of the renewed transgender military ban. In a filing in Talbott v. United States, attorneys told the D.C. Circuit that government lawyers falsely claimed no transgender troops had been discharged under the policy.
That assertion, they say, was contradicted by evidence obtained after last week’s oral arguments. The filing names two service members, including Thackery Keuma, a 12-year New Mexico Army National Guard veteran, and Angela Troska, who served more than 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard. Both were allegedly discharged under the ban. GLAD Law attorney Michael Haley wrote, “Plaintiffs-Apellees raise these examples to ensure that the Court is aware of the ongoing harms faced by transgender service members.”
During the January 22 hearing, DOJ attorney Abhishek Kambli (Abhee-Shake-Calm-blee) told judges no separations had occurred, a claim sharply disputed by plaintiffs’ counsel. Shannon Minter of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights sharply pointed out that, “It is telling that the government seems to recognize that it can’t defend this irrational policy without misrepresenting the facts.” The appeals court has not yet ruled on whether to reinstate an injunction blocking the ban.
