In the case the justices acted on Tuesday, US District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Washington, had ruled for several long-serving transgender military members who say that the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations.
The Trump administration did not explain why transgender troops, who have been able to serve openly over the past four years with no evidence of problems, should suddenly be banned, Settle wrote. The judge is an appointee of Republican President George W Bush and is a former captain in the US Army Judge Advocate General Corps.
Settle imposed a nationwide hold on the policy, and a federal appeals court rejected the administration’s emergency plea. The Justice Department then turned to the Supreme Court.
The policy also has been blocked by a federal judge in the nation’s capital, but that ruling has been temporarily halted by a federal appeals court, which heard arguments last month. The three-judge panel, which includes two judges appointed by Trump during his first term, appeared to be in favour of the administration’s position.
In a more limited ruling, a judge in New Jersey also has barred the Air Force from removing two transgender men, saying they showed their separation would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations that no monetary settlement could repair.
