Federal judge dismantles Trump's trans military ban in explosive hearing [View all]

Source: The Advocate

Federal judge dismantles Trump's trans military ban in explosive hearing

Judge Ana Reyes accused Department of Justice attorneys of being unprepared.

By Christopher Wiggins
March 13 2025 1:02 PM EST

A federal judge sharply questioned the Trump administration’s justification for banning transgender Americans from military service during a heated, five-hour hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, highlighting contradictions, gaps, and inadequate preparation in the government’s arguments.

Government attorney stumbles under questioning

U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, appointed by former President Joe Biden as the first LGBTQ+ judge on the D.C. District Court, pressed the Trump Justice Department attorney Jason Manion — a Federalist Society-affiliated lawyer and former special counsel to Republican Sen.Ted Cruz of Texas—on the administration’s claims that transgender service members pose medical or readiness risks. Manion stumbled through the entire hearing, appearing flatfooted, while plaintiffs’ attorneys, including GLAD Law’s Jennifer Levi and the National Center for Lesbian Rights’ Shannon Minter, spoke for less than five minutes in a session that began at 10:30 a.m. and concluded at 5 p.m.

Judge challenges 'cherry-picked' studies

Reyes, who pointed out that the government has admitted that it doesn’t even track service members by gender identity, accused the administration of “cherry-picking” and “egregiously misquoting” scientific evidence, noting the government’s fundamental misunderstanding of reports used to defend the policy. She criticized the administration’s data interpretation, pointing out that the government’s own studies revealed transgender service members have lower rates of disability incidents compared to cisgender counterparts serving with conditions like depression. Highlighting a critical contradiction, she pointed out how service members who require insulin or other hormone therapies deploy routinely, yet similar treatments for transgender personnel were inexplicably considered too complicated.

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Read more: https://www.advocate.com/news/judge-skeptical-trans-military-ban

Alternate link: https://news.yahoo.com/news/federal-judge-dismantles-trumps-trans-130219419.html