The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a major win on Tuesday, overturning a lower court ruling that blocked his ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military.
Back up: In January, President Trump signed an executive order that banned transgenders from serving in the military. In March, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of this order.
The details: In a brief order released Tuesday afternoon, the Supreme Court granted Trump’s emergency request to overturn the lower court ruling, after the administration argued it hindered the U.S. military readiness.
- The three liberal justices—Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson—would deny Trump’s request.
What Americans think: A recent poll found that most Americans, 54 percent, approve of Trump’s ban on transgender troops.
What happens next: Litigation over the constitutionality of Trump’s order will continue. But while that plays out, his ban can go into effect.
Why Trump’s right on the issue: It is longstanding Department of Defense policy that service members are “[f]ree of medical conditions or physical defects that may reasonably be expected to require excessive time lost from duty for necessary treatment or hospitalization.” The military isn’t an office computer job. It’s the literal line of defense between us and our enemies. There is no room for radical gender ideology.
