The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender people in the military while a series of legal challenges continue.
According to the Associated Press, three federal judges had ruled against the ban before the Supreme Court ruling.
AP reported that the trans service members who challenged the ban have amassed more than 70 medals in a combined 115 years of service. The lead plaintiff is Navy Commander Emily Shilling, who has 20 years of service and flew combat missions during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to AP.
The majority opinion came from the court’s conservative judges, while the three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold until legal proceedings were concluded.
Just after Trump signed an executive order in January, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the military branches to identify transgender troops and be prepared to remove them from service.
LGBTQ+ rights group Lambda Legal released this statement after the ruling:
“By allowing this discriminatory ban to take effect while our challenge continues, the court has temporarily sanctioned a policy that has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice. Transgender individuals meet the same standards and demonstrate the same values as all who serve. We remain steadfast in our belief that this ban violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection and will ultimately be struck down.”
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of LGBTQ+ media monitoring organization GLAAD, also issued a statement:
“Today’s news is a disgrace for all Americans, especially transgender service members who have been serving openly and honorably for many years. Allowing this discriminatory ban to go into effect is out of step with the views of the American people, compromises military readiness, and will make America less safe. America’s brave service members and their families deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”
