Judge Ana Reyes, the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as a district court judge in Washington D.C., ruled that the ban likely violates the constitutional prohibition on sex discrimination. "The cruel irony is that thousands of transgender service members have sacrificed — some risking their lives — to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the military ban seeks to deny them," she said.

The lawsuit was filed after Trump declared in January that transgender individuals would no longer be allowed to join the military and would no longer receive coverage for gender transition treatments. The military leadership later announced plans to discharge existing transgender service members.

Reyes pointed out that the government itself acknowledged that transgender personnel perform exceptionally well. "So why discharge them and other decorated soldiers? Crickets from defendants on this key question," she remarked.

Jennifer Levi, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, praised the court for taking decisive action. "This ruling pulls no punches. The court methodically documented the concrete harms this ban inflicts on brave transgender service members who ask nothing more than to serve their country with honour," she said in a statement. The White House and the Pentagon have yet to respond.