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  "path": "/politics/us/donald-trump-transgender-troops-illegal-federal-judges-white-house-court",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-02T00:42:07.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Donald Trump offers to headline Freedom 250 concert after withdrawals from artists",
    "Donald Trump hits outs at 'radical left'' after judge demands his name removed from Kennedy Center",
    "Donald Trump wants new $250 banknote to feature his arrest mugshot",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nDonald Trump's crackdown on transgender troops serving in the US military has been ruled illegal by a federal court in a fresh blow to the White House's agenda.\n\nThe ruling came from a divided three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit on Monday.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nJudges claimed the Trump administration specifically drummed up the policy to bar individuals from serving based on their gender identity.\n\nThough despite their ruling, the ban remains in place - for now.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\nThe US Supreme Court allowed the block to go ahead year whilst legal challenges work their way through the courts.\n\nAdditionally, the appeals court has stayed its own decision pending any further appeals.\n\nThe ruling would protect transgender plaintiffs already serving in the armed forces, though it would not extend to those attempting to enlist.\n\nThis means the military still has the ability to block new transgender recruits from joining.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe panel voted 2-1 to largely affirm a March 2025 decision by US District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington DC.\n\nJudge Reyes had determined that Mr Trump's executive order barring transgender troops probably infringes upon their constitutional rights.\n\nThe Trump administration then launched an appeal following Mr Reyes's preliminary injunction, which had been sought by lawyers representing several transgender active-duty service members and prospective recruits.\n\nThe appeals court majority opted to limit the injunction's scope to serving personnel rather than those seeking to join.\n\n### DONALD TRUMP - READ THE LATEST:\n\n\n\n\n  * Donald Trump offers to headline Freedom 250 concert after withdrawals from artists\n  * Donald Trump hits outs at 'radical left'' after judge demands his name removed from Kennedy Center\n  * Donald Trump wants new $250 banknote to feature his arrest mugshot\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nA separate legal challenge to the ban was brought in Washington state, where the court also ruled against the policy.\n\nThe President signed an executive order in January 2025 confirming the sexual identity of transgender service members \"conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one's personal life\" and undermines military readiness.\n\nDefence Secretary Pete Hegseth then barred individuals with \"gender dysphoria\" from serving.\n\nGender dysphoria refers to the psychological distress experienced when a person's assigned gender does not align with their gender identity, a condition associated with depression and suicidal ideation.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nReacting to the ruling on social media, Mr Hegseth bluntly declared: \"See you at SCOTUS.\"\n\nJudge Robert Wilkins, an Obama appointee who authored the majority opinion, wrote that the policy \"appears to be driven by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group: persons who identify as transgender.\"\n\nJudge Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, dissented from the ruling.\n\n\"We have neither the expertise nor the authority to decide whether the military can exclude the plaintiffs from its ranks. The Constitution assigns that authority to Congress and the Commander in Chief,\" Walker wrote.\n\nJudge Judith Rogers, appointed by President Bill Clinton, joined the majority but also partially dissented.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Donald Trump's crackdown on transgender troops ruled ILLEGAL as White House vows: 'We'll see you in court'"
}