Judge Ana C. Reyes of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued a nationwide preliminary injunction on 18 March 2025 blocking the enforcement of an executive order from the Trump administration that sought to ban transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military. Another court decision from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland was issued on the same day ordering the Department of Government Efficiency stop its ongoing efforts to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development. These rulings are part of the growing resistance against the executive orders and directives of the second Trump administration.
District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes Blocked Trump Administration’s Ban on Transgender Troops: Key Ruling Explained
Background
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 that reinstated a ban on transgender individuals serving in the United States military. The administration justified this policy by asserting that transgender identities could negatively impact military cohesion and readiness. It was also concerned about what it deemed potential disruptions and medical costs associated with transgender service members.
The executive order was aimed at reversing the 2016 policy of the Obama administration which had allowed transgender individuals to serve openly in the military. Nevertheless, LGBTQ+ legal organizations GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders or GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a case on 28 January 2025 on behalf of six active-duty transgender service members and two individuals seeking to enlist.
Judge Reyes presided over the case. Nevertheless, in Talbott v. Trump, the plaintiffs argued that the ban goes against the constitutional rights to equal protection under the Fifth Amendment by discriminating against transgender individuals based on gender and sex. The specific Equal Protection Clause has been interpreted to encompass principles that ensure individuals are not discriminated against by the federal government.
Court Ruling
In a 79-page decision, Judge Reyes ruled that the order likely violates constitutional rights. Her ruling specifically noted 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.” She further argued that the order “is soaked in animus,” stigmatizing transgender persons as inherently unfit without a factual basis
The court decision also included a piercing critique of the newer transgender service member policy of the Pentagon. Moreover, during the hearing, Judge Reyes noted that the government misquoted and cherry-picked scientific studies to falsely assert that transgender soldiers decrease the readiness and lethality of the armed forces. She also underscored the fact that the policy targeted a group that the administration dislikes.
Note that she delayed her order until the morning of March 21 to give the administration time to appeal. She explained that the ruling would spark heated public debate and appeals, which are part of a healthy democracy, but noted that every person who has answered the call to serve deserves gratitude and respect. The preliminary injunction temporarily halts the ban while the case proceeds to safeguard the interest of involved transgenders.