Judge blocks Trump effort to ban transgender soldiers from military

A federal judge in Washington D.C. has issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration over its attempt to ban transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military.

Tuesday’s decision by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes blocks the Department of Defense from carrying through with a policy directive designed to remove transgender servicemembers from the military.

In a sweeping and at times strongly worded opinion, Reyes pushed back against the administration effort, writing that the ban violated the constitutional rights of transgender troops.

“Indeed, the cruel irony is 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,” Reyes wrote.

The preliminary injunction is the latest example of a federal court moving to pause or block efforts by President Trump to enact his agenda through executive action. The steady cascade of orders against the president has raised fears among Trump critics that the administration may in time choose to defy a federal court decision and spark a potential constitutional crisis.

Trump has pledged to adhere to court decisions, saying he would appeal rulings where judges have sided against the administration. At the same time, he has been openly critical of federal judges who have ruled against him.