Judge Challenges Trump Administration's Defense of Transgender Military Ban

Federal Judge Ana Reyes scrutinizes claims made by DOJ lawyers, highlighting alleged animus and lack of evidence behind executive orders targeting transgender individuals.

Judge Ana Reyes questioned the Trump administration's justification for banning transgender individuals from military service, calling its policies discriminatory and unsupported by evidence.
The executive order prohibits transgender individuals from serving, ends coverage for gender-related healthcare, and enforces policies based on sex assigned at birth.
Reyes criticized the administration's assertion of only two sexes, pointing out biological inaccuracies and the exclusion of intersex individuals in the policy framework.
DOJ lawyers struggled to provide evidence supporting claims that transgender inclusion harms military readiness, prompting Reyes to demand testimony from a military officer on this issue.
Advocacy groups argue the policy violates constitutional protections, with Reyes highlighting a broader pattern of actions by the administration that she described as showing 'unadulterated animus' toward transgender Americans.