Bulletin: Judge Halts Trump’s Trans Troop Purge!

A U.S. federal court judge has announced that the Trump administration was mistaken when it claimed last week that it could begin to implement the president’s proposed ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military.

The Supreme Court directly struck down two of the four injunctions against implementing the ban in late January, and a third lower court lifted its ban in light of that decision in early March.

But in the case known as Doe v. Trump, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a notice in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on March 19th that “defendants remain bound by this Court’s preliminary injunction to maintain the status quo.”

A three-judge appeals court panel overturned her injunction in January. But it has not issued its final order, and the plaintiffs haven’t had the chance to file a formal appeal of that ruling to the full court, Kollar-Kotelly noted. She said that those facts support her contention that the injunction still stands.

GLBTQ Advocates and Defenders and the National Center for Lesbian Rights

are representing current transgender members of the U.S. armed forces in the lawsuit, as well as transgender people who’d like to enlist. According to BuzzFeed, the plaintiffs have until March 29th to request a hearing before the full bench of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. If their appeal is accepted, it could further delay the implementation of Trump’s crusade against transgender troops.

A sharp rebuke from the White House is expected, so please stay tuned for further updates.