Federal court blocks transgender military ban in GLAD Law and NCLR case 塔尔博特诉特朗普案

“The Court’s unambiguous factual findings lay bare how this ban specifically targets and undermines our courageous service members who have committed themselves to defending our nation. Given the Court’s clear-eyed assessment, we are confident this ruling will stand strong on appeal,” said GLAD Law’s Jennifer Levi

U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes today issued a 全国初步禁令 在 塔尔博特诉特朗普案, the legal challenge to President Trump’s transgender military ban executive order brought by LGBTQ+ legal groups GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). Judge Reyes heard arguments on the motion for preliminary injunction in Washington, DC last Wednesday, March 12. 

In today’s ruling, Judge Reyes noted that “thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed—some risking their lives—to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them.” Judge Reyes held the ban violates equal protection both because it discriminates based on transgender status and sex and because “it is soaked in animus.” As Judge Reyes further held: “Its language is unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit, and its conclusions bear no relation to fact.”

This nationwide preliminary injunction will temporarily halt implementation of the ban and protect transgender servicemembers and recruits from its significant harms while the future of the ban is being decided in court. These harms include for example, the delay or denial of essential medical care, paused deployments, forced administrative leave, and other significant harms including what would eventually result in the end of these individuals’ military careers by being discharged through administrative separation, a process used to address instances of misconduct.

Lead attorneys GLAD Law 跨性别者和酷儿权利高级总监 詹妮弗·莱维 和 NCLR法律总监 香农·明特 respond to Judge Reyes’ ruling:

“Today’s decisive ruling speaks volumes,” said GLAD Law 跨性别者和酷儿权利高级主管 Jennifer Levi。“The Court’s unambiguous factual findings lay bare how this ban specifically targets and undermines our courageous service members who have committed themselves to defending our nation. Given the Court’s clear-eyed assessment, we are confident this ruling will stand strong on appeal.”

“The court acted quickly today to shield our troops from the harmful effects of this irrational ban. It would have ended careers of dedicated transgender servicemembers and created personnel gaps, leaving others to fill critical roles. The ban’s harmful impact and rushed implementation show that it was motivated by prejudice,” said NCLR法律总监Shannon Minter. “Our plaintiffs include lifelong military personnel who served in combat in Afghanistan, come from multi-generation military families, and have received honors like the Bronze Star. This ban is unjustifiable and attacks brave servicemembers, recruits, and families who sacrifice so much for our country.” 

GLAD Law’s Jennifer Levi 和 NCLR’s Shannon Minter, the 本案首席律师, are transgender themselves and each have more than three decades of experience litigating landmark and key LGBTQ+ cases. Together, Levi and Minter led the legal fight in 2017 against the transgender military ban in 多伊诉特朗普案 和 斯托克曼诉特朗普案该公司还获得了全国范围内的初步禁令，以阻止该禁令的实施。

In addition to GLAD Law and NCLR, the plaintiffs are represented by Joseph Wardenski, Principal Attorney, Wardenski P.C. and Sara Kropf of Kropf Moseley PLLC. 

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