President Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to uphold his policy banning transgender Americans from serving in the military, as the legal battle over the policy moves back to the conservative court.
Trump signed an executive order shortly after returning to office directing the Pentagon to bar transgender service members, arguing that their service was incompatible with military requirements.
The appeal challenges a federal court ruling in Washington, DC, that blocked the policy for transgender service members already in the military.
US Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the Supreme Court that “the authority of the US military to determine who may serve in the nation’s armed forces is a matter of exceptional importance.”
The Supreme Court is expected to decide this fall whether to take up the case. About 4,240 service members across active-duty, reserve and National Guard forces have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, according to defense officials.
The case adds to a series of transgender-related disputes before the 6-3 conservative court. Earlier this year, the court upheld state bans on transgender students competing on girls’ sports teams, while last year it allowed Tennessee’s restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors to remain in place.
Trump also imposed a transgender military ban during his first term, but former President Joe Biden repealed it in 2021. The Supreme Court allowed Trump to enforce the current policy last year while legal challenges continued, although lower courts have since issued rulings blocking parts of it.
