A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unlawful a 2025 directive by War Secretary Pete Hegseth that ordered transgender people to be discharged from the military, Reuters reports.
The court’s decision said the directive rested on the notion that the presence of transgender people in the armed forces reduces military readiness. The judges found that approach to be an unproven prejudice.
The case was heard as part of Talbott v. United States, a lawsuit filed by a group of transgender people against the Department of Defense. The plaintiffs sought to bar the dismissal of current transgender service members and to lift restrictions on transgender people joining the military.
The court granted the lawsuit in part: the Pentagon was barred from dismissing transgender troops already serving, but the court did not overturn the ban on new enlistments.