A federal judge has rejected President Donald Trump’s administration’s request to remove an injunction that bars the military from enacting a ban on transgender service members.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, appointed by former President Joe Biden and based in Washington, D.C., declined to lift her previous order preventing the Pentagon from denying transgender individuals the right to enlist.

This decision is part of the ongoing legal proceedings in the case Talbott v. Trump, which questions the policy’s constitutionality. The Department of Justice has filed an appeal notice with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Judge Reyes had previously indicated the ban might be unconstitutional, highlighting the government’s failure to show any legitimate military reason for excluding transgender service members. She has been critical of the administration’s policy during hearings and in her written judgments.

The Pentagon had planned to implement the transgender military ban on Friday, but Reyes’ ruling halts this action while the appeal is underway. On March 21, she requested the Department of Defense delay its initial March 26 deadline to introduce the policy.

The legal issue revolves around whether the policy discriminates against transgender individuals or constitutes a valid restriction based on a medical condition.

On March 21, the defendants, including President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, filed a motion to remove the injunction blocking the Pentagon’s ban. They argued the policy targets gender dysphoria, a medical condition, rather than broadly discriminating against transgender individuals.

In her Wednesday ruling, Judge Reyes addressed this argument by distinguishing gender dysphoria from other medical conditions. She stated that comparing gender dysphoria to conditions like bipolar disorder or eating disorders was flawed. According to Reyes, gender dysphoria uniquely affects transgender individuals, making a ban on this condition effectively a ban on transgender people.

The Trump administration also requested that if the motion to dissolve was denied, the court should stay the preliminary injunction pending appeal. The government referred to new guidance issued on March 21, clarifying the policy’s application. This guidance specified that “exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria” pertains only to “individuals who exhibit such symptoms as would be sufficient to constitute a diagnosis.”

Reyes recognized the new Military Department Identification Guidance (MIDI Guidance) in her decision, but noted that while the guidance was new, the defense’s argument was not. She emphasized the need for more time for the appeals process and pointed out that she had previously allowed ample time to appeal her earlier opinion blocking the ban.

“Indeed, the cruel irony is that thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed — some risking their lives —to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them,” Reyes wrote in her earlier decision granting the preliminary injunction.

The tension between the court and the administration has been evident throughout the proceedings. On Saturday, Defense Secretary Hegseth criticized the judge on social media, suggesting that since Reyes was acting as a military planner, she should report to military bases to instruct Army Rangers and Green Berets on combat operations. His comments underscored the administration’s frustration with the court’s intervention.

Judge Reyes addressed the government’s position in her ruling, noting that they had effectively acknowledged the plaintiffs were exemplary soldiers who demonstrated that transgender persons possess the warrior spirit, health, selflessness, honor, integrity, and discipline necessary for military excellence.

Addressing the broader context of her decision, Reyes commented on the heated public debate her opinion had generated and the expected appeal from the Trump administration. She reminded everyone that the service members themselves make such debates and appeals possible through their sacrifices, which give meaning to the phrase about “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” She concluded by thanking all service members.

A legal challenge is unfolding alongside a prominent Supreme Court case centered on transgender rights. The case, United States v. Skrmetti, examines whether the equal protection clause, which mandates that the government treat individuals in similar situations equally, prevents states from banning medical professionals from administering puberty blockers and hormones to support a minor’s gender transition.

According to the Pentagon’s proposed policy, service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria would be processed for separation, with the option to apply for a waiver on a case-by-case basis if there is a compelling government interest in retaining the service member. The policy would also direct the use of sex-based terms of address, standards, and facilities, and prohibit the use of Department of Defense funding for medical procedures related to gender dysphoria.

The Talbott v. Trump case involves six current military personnel and two aspiring recruits. These individuals represent every branch of the armed forces and have commendable service records.

“So why discharge them and other decorated soldiers? Crickets from defendants on this key question,” Reyes stated in her ruling, highlighting the government’s failure to address this critical point.

Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which represents several of the plaintiffs, praised Judge Reyes’ decision, stating that she had acted quickly to protect troops from the harmful effects of what Minter described as an irrational ban.

The Department of Justice has defended the administration’s actions throughout the case. With the appeal now filed, the legal battle is expected to continue in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

While estimates vary, there are believed to be between 2,000 and 15,500 transgender people currently serving in the U.S. military, out of approximately 1.3 million active-duty personnel.