Politics
JUST IN: Supreme Court Delivers Massive Victory For Trump Administration
In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday to allow President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender military service members to go into effect.
The order effectively reinstates the President’s January 27 directive titled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.” The executive order prohibits individuals with gender dysphoria or those who have undergone gender transition procedures from serving in the Armed Forces, citing concerns over unit cohesion, medical readiness, and military effectiveness.
“The application for stay presented to Justice Kagan and by her referred to the Court is granted,” the Court wrote in its Tuesday order list. “The March 27, 2025 preliminary injunction…is stayed pending the disposition of the appeal.” The ruling means the policy will remain in place unless the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court ultimately strikes it down.
Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
The original injunction was issued in March by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, who argued that the policy likely violated the Fifth Amendment and lacked sufficient justification. But the Supreme Court’s ruling signals a willingness to give the executive branch wide latitude in setting military policy, especially under claims of national security and operational effectiveness.
In the executive order, President Trump stated the military must have a “singular focus on developing the requisite warrior ethos,” and that it “cannot be diluted to accommodate political agendas or other ideologies harmful to unit cohesion.”
He continued: “For the sake of our Nation and the patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve it, military service must be reserved for those mentally and physically fit for duty.”
The order further bars “invented and identification-based pronoun usage” in military settings, ending recognition of gender identities divergent from biological sex within Department of Defense operations. It also explicitly prohibits biological males from sharing sleeping, bathing, or changing facilities with females, and vice versa, except in rare operational necessities.
Critics, including advocacy groups and LGBTQ activists, have denounced the policy as discriminatory and harmful. Supporters argue it restores discipline, uniformity, and truthfulness in the ranks.
The Trump administration’s justification leans heavily on existing DoD medical standards, which exclude service for numerous mental and physical conditions. The executive order aligned the transgender ban with these longstanding policies, stating: “Consistent with the military mission…expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”
President Trump’s action also rescinded President Biden’s Executive Order 14004, which had lifted the previous transgender military ban during his first week in office. Trump called that policy a “harmful executive order” that prioritized politics over national security.
The issue began under former President Obama, who on June 30, 2016, lifted the longstanding ban on transgender individuals serving openly in the U.S. military. However, on July 26, 2017, President Donald Trump abruptly announced on Twitter that transgender individuals would no longer be allowed to serve “in any capacity” in the military, citing concerns over cost and military readiness.
On August 25, 2017, Trump formalized his directive with a presidential memorandum instructing the Department of Defense to reinstate the ban. This triggered a wave of legal challenges from advocacy groups and individuals affected by the policy. Courts issued injunctions blocking its enforcement, creating a temporary legal stalemate.
Former President Biden reversed the ban on January 25, 2021, through an executive order that once again allowed transgender individuals to serve openly.
