Two Courts Rule Against Trump's Ban On Transgender Troops

Two courts on Friday ruled against President Donald Trump's ban on transgender troops.

The District Court for the Central District of California became the fourth court to issue a nationwide preliminary injunction against the president's ban. The first such order was issued on October 30 in Doe v. Trump.

“Finding the Plaintiffs have established injury-in-fact as it pertains to the Accession, Retention, and Sex Reassignment Surgery Directives, and finding this case ripe for adjudication, the Court DENIES Defendants' Motion to Dismiss,” the court wrote. “Additionally … the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction.”

Plaintiffs in the case, titled Stockman v. Trump, are three unnamed active-duty transgender service members serving in the United States Army and Air Force and four named individuals, three of whom wish to join the military but cannot, and Jaquice Tate, a 27-year-old active-duty member of the Army. Additional plaintiffs include Equality California and the state of California.

Plaintiffs are represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and Latham & Watkins LLP.

“Today is a significant victory for transgender service members across the country,” Rick Zbur, Equality California executive director, said in a statement. “We thank our brave plaintiffs, our lawyers at the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and Latham & Watkins LLP, and Attorney General Xavier Becerra for this win. This ruling along with the others in similar cases affirms the fact that transgender troops deserve to be treated with honor, dignity and respect.”

Also on Friday, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit became the second federal appeals court to deny the Department of Justice's request to extend the delay on transgender military recruits beyond January 1.

The three-judge panel noted that transgender individuals are “already serving openly in the military.”

“It must be remembered that all plaintiffs seek during this litigation is to serve their nation with honor and dignity, volunteering to face extreme hardships, to endure lengthy deployments and separation from family and friends, and to willingly make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives if necessary to protect the nation, the people of the United States, and the Constitution against all who would attack them,” the court wrote.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly was the first judge to largely block Trump's ban. The Justice Department appealed the decision and sought a stay on her January 1 deadline for the military to begin accepting transgender recruits.

NCLR and GLAD are also involved in this case.

“Since President Trump’s destructive order to ban transgender people from military service, military leaders and experts are speaking out to support transgender troops,” NCLR legal director Shannon Minter said. “Experience has shown that allowing qualified transgender candidates to serve strengthens our military and our country. We cannot allow this administration to demean dedicated service members and weaken our military based on false stereotypes and irrational bias.”