Court Blocks Trump's Ban on Transgender Military Service

A U.S. court has blocked President Donald Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the military.

"The effect of the Court's Order is to revert to the status quo with regard to accession and retention that existed before the issuance of the Presidential Memorandum," the order filed by United States District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly read, referring to policies in place before Trump's June 30 executive order banning transgenders from serving in the military.

The judge did, however, dismiss plaintiffs' motion to block a ban on funding for sex reassignment surgery.

The case was brought by a group of transgender service members who asked the court to block the ban while it considers whether it violates their constitutional rights.

In August, the Trump administration sent a memo to the Department of Defense directing it to implement the ban.

The policy would give the Pentagon the ability to expel military members based on a standard of whether they could be deployed to war zones or take part in other missions. It would also deny admittance to new transgender people who want to join the military, and would end spending for medical treatment related to sexual reassignment for current transgender service members.

Trump, in his tweets, based his decision on what he said were the "tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail."

The move came a year after the Pentagon under former President Barack Obama announced transgender military members would be allowed to serve openly.

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