A federal judge in Washington state, Benjamin Settle, has blocked President Trump's executive order banning transgender individuals from military service, marking the second injunction against this policy. Settle criticized the administration's lack of justification, noting that transgender service members have performed without issues over the past four years. The judge highlighted cases such as U.S. Navy Commander Emily Shilling, emphasizing that firing her for being transgender lacks evidence of impacting military effectiveness. This ruling supports ongoing challenges against the discriminatory nature of the ban and its implications for service members' careers.
The government's arguments are not persuasive, and it is not an especially close question on this record. The government's unrelenting reliance on deference to military judgment is unjustified in the absence of any evidence supporting 'the military's' new judgment reflected in the Military Ban.
Absent an injunction, she will promptly discharged solely because she is transgender.
Several long-serving transgender military members have said the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause significant damage to their careers.
Judge Ana Reyes called the ban 'insulting' and said that it violated equal protection rights.
Collection
[
|
...
]