In a two to one ruling, a federal court has blocked portions of the Trump administration policy that prevented individuals who identified as transgender from participating in military service.
BREAKING: In a 2-1 ruling, a federal appeals court finds the Trump administration policy to ban transgender individuals from serving in the US military is unconstitutional.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 1, 2026
From Judge Roger Wilkins who wrote the majority opinion:
"The Hegseth policy is both arbitrary and based…
🚨 In a 2-1 vote, the D.C. Circuit blocks the Trump administration from removing transgender troops already serving in the military, but allows restrictions on new transgender recruits while the lawsuit continues. pic.twitter.com/bPKnIS7zcR
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) June 1, 2026
BREAKING: D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rules that Hegseth policy barring military service by transgender people is fueled by unconstitutional animus.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 1, 2026
2-1 decision bars military from removing some currently-serving transgender service members.https://t.co/jWLzjEzHx9 pic.twitter.com/IrjNA64ObG
JUST IN - Federal appeals court finds Trump admin policy banning transgenders from serving in the U.S. military unconstitutional — Fox News
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) June 1, 2026
The court has ruled that the policy is unconstitutional and further stated that it “appears to be driven by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group.” It also states that the policy advanced by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is "arbitrary and based on animus.”
“The record shows that the purpose of the Hegseth Policy is to target applicants and servicemembers who express what the Administration believes is a ‘false gender identity,’ and the Policy goes far beyond disqualifying persons currently or recently suffering from gender dysphoria,” the decision read. “Some of those disqualifications are completely unexplained and have no reasonable justification.”
While the policy protects transgender individuals who are actively serving from removal, the court will continue to allow the Trump administration from admitting new transgender recruits into armed service.