Appeals court rules against transgender military ban

A divided panel of appeals court judges has ruled that a Trump administration policy illegally banned transgender troops from military service. Monday's majority opinion by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit partially upholds a March 2025 ruling by U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington. Reyes concluded that President Donald Trump’s executive order to exclude transgender troops from military service likely violates their constitutional rights. The administration appealed after Reyes issued a preliminary injunction requested by attorneys for six transgender people who are active-duty service members and two others seeking to join the military.