The Trump administration is now asking the Supreme Court to take into consideration its arguments on a suggested transgender military ban, hoping to end injunctions placed on the policy by lower-court judges. Lawyers for the Justice Department filed petitions on Friday in three separate cases in regard to the ban on transgender military service members.
It marks the second attempt made by Trump to keep those identifying as transgender from serving in the armed services. The first try immediately launched several injunctions which caused the administration to rewrite its policy. The new policy was met with a similar response, being stopped by judges in district courts.
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According to the administration, “making accommodations for gender transition' would 'not [be] conducive to, and would likely undermine, the inputs—readiness, good order and discipline, sound leadership, and unit cohesion—that are essential to military effectiveness and lethality.”
It marks yet another attempt by Trump to undo policy enacted by the Obama administration, specifically when it comes to policies affecting the transgender community. He’s declared that gender is only defined as the sex a person was assigned at birth and has since ended protections for transgender workers and prisoners.
The administration is requesting that the Supreme Court rules on the matter before the case is heard by appellate courts. Trump used this tactic before when seeking a final ruling on the administration’s attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. The Supreme Court denied that request.
