New transgender recruits could begin enlisting in the military starting Jan. 1 under the latest court victory for advocates opposed to President Donald Trump’s policies.
The decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia follows two earlier federal court injunctions against Trump’s announced plans to bar transgender individuals from the ranks but will likely be appealed by administration officials in coming days.
In her ruling, District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said defense leaders must follow transgender policies in place as of June 30 until appeals to other White House actions are heard.
That would leave in place Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s order of a six-month delay until Jan. 1 in allowing new transgender recruits, but not subsequent instructions by the president for more sweeping restrictions.
In October, the same court ruled that military officials could not force transgender troops out of the armed forces while the legal process continues. The move also left in place provisions for those servicemembers to receive specialized medical care for their condition, as promised by military officials in earlier policy changes.
The issue of transgender individuals in the military has been a confusing legal fight since early July, when Trump announced through a series of tweets that the military would no longer “accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity.”
His comments came about nine months after former President Barack Obama’s administration allowed transgender individuals to serve openly for the first time and offered medical services for gender dysphoria treatments and gender reassignment surgery for the first time.
But Trump’s initial message didn’t include any policy specifics. Those came months later as part of a new, lengthy review of personnel policies by Mattis’s administration that is expected to be completed in the spring.
The latest court ruling — which could be overturned by a higher court — appears poised to force Pentagon leaders to move faster on that review.
In a statement, officials from the American Military Partner Association praised the ruling and called it further evidence that Trump’s transgender policies will eventually be abandoned altogether.
A recent Military Times poll of active duty troops found that more than half approved of Trump’s plans to reverse the transgender military policies, but 24 percent of respondents strongly disapproved of the move.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
