Will Trump Administration Take It to the Supreme Court?
The Trump administration’s attempts to ban new transgender recruits from the U.S. military have once again hit a roadblock, this time in the form of a three-judge panel on the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The court Thursday afternoon denied the Trump administration’s request to block a lower court’s order mandating transgender recruits be allowed to join next year.
The Dept. of Justice, under the direction of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and in the wake of the president’s July 26 tweets announcing he would ban all transgender service members from the military, has been trying to not allow any more transgender people into the armed services. The administration has been denied at every turn.
“The order from the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit brings the question closer to the Supreme Court, where the Justice Department could now turn in a last-ditch effort to stop transgender people from being allowed to join the military if they meet certain conditions starting in the new year,” Buzzfeed Legal Editor Chris Geidner reports.
A federal judge last month ordered the Pentagon to revert to plans made prior to Donald Trump becoming president. Those included allowing openly transgender people who wish to serve their country to be allowed to join the military beginning January 1, 2018.
Today’s ruling is consistent with a separate ruling from U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.
Prior to Thursday’s ruling, three federal court judges separately have already ordered the U.S. military to accept new transgender recruits as of January 1, and the Pentagon has said it will comply.
The Trump administration has yet to announce how it will respond to this latest ruling.
“We disagree with the Court’s ruling and are currently evaluating the next steps,” Justice Department spokesperson Lauren Ehrsam told Buzzfeed.
It’s hard to imagine Jeff Sessions’ DOJ not asking the Supreme Court for a stay, which likely would be granted.
There are other similar cases pending.
This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates.
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Image: DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro via Flickr
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