Overview

• The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority allowed President Trump’s transgender military ban to take effect, lifting lower court injunctions that had blocked the policy.
• The decision enables the Pentagon to discharge transgender service members and deny enlistment to individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria while legal challenges continue.
• The ban, introduced via a January executive order, claims transgender identities are incompatible with military standards of discipline and readiness, a stance critics argue is discriminatory and unsupported by evidence.
• Civil rights groups and plaintiffs, including decorated transgender service members, contend the policy violates constitutional equal protection rights and is motivated by prejudice.
• The case remains active in federal appeals courts, with the possibility of returning to the Supreme Court for a final ruling on its constitutionality.