The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration can move forward with a ban on transgender military service members for now, lifting a lower court injunction against the policy after a judge ruled it was an “unsupported, dramatic and facially unfair exclusionary policy.”
The court did not explain its decision other than to say the order would expire if the justices ultimately take up the case on the merits and issue a ruling striking it down. Litigation continues in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson indicated they would have denied Trump’s request for a stay.
The U.S. Supreme Court Building is seen, Dec. 3, 2024, in Washington.
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During Trump’s first term, the high court took a similar course, lifting an injunction against a ban on transgender service members after it was challenged. President Biden ended the policy and around 1,000 transgender members of the military have provided active service over the past four years.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.