Published Jun 1, 2026, 3:14 PM EDT
The U.S. Court of Appeals ruling on Monday follows a similar ruling delivered last year as part of ongoing legal battles.
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Published Jun 1, 2026, 3:14 PM EDT
A three-panel court blocked the Trump administration from banning transgender troops from the United States military, though it did not alter precedent for new troops wanting to enlist. The 2-1 ruling, issued Monday by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, blocks the administration from removing currently enlisted transgender service members but continues to allow the policy to continue for new transgender recruits. On May 6, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court in a party-line decision granted the Trump administration’s request to enforce a Department of Defense policy banning transgender individuals from serving in the military while legal challenges in lower courts continued. Legal battles remain ongoing in lower court settings. The policy “appears to be driven by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group: persons who identify as transgender,” Judge Robert Wilkins—nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama—wrote for the majority on Monday, according to the Associated. Judge Judith Rogers, nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, joined Wilkins' opinion but partially dissented. Judge Justin Walker, nominated by President Donald Trump, said in a dissenting opinion that judges should not be the ones to decide on what constitutes a military service member within ranks. "We have neither the expertise nor the authority to decide whether the military can exclude the plaintiffs from its ranks," Walker wrote. "The Constitution assigns that authority to Congress and the Commander in Chief.
