The Supreme Court has permitted the Trump administration to implement a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military as of Tuesday.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court sided with the administration’s plea to set aside lower court decisions that had sought to halt the policy’s implementation.
Judges Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson opposed the administration’s request.
Judge Benjamin H. Settle, a George W. Bush appointee, noted in a decision from March 27th that transgender service members and advocacy groups challenging the ban likely have strong grounds for their case.
Settle remarked, “The military has operated effectively for four years under Austin’s policy, and the potential difficulties faced by the military, compared to the hardships imposed on transgender personnel, significantly favor the plaintiffs. There is little more pressing than safeguarding citizens’ constitutional rights.”
