The U.S. Department of Justice on
Monday filed an appeal on a court order extending an injunction
against President Donald Trump's ban on transgender troops.
In a series of tweets in July, Trump
declared that the military will no longer “accept or allow”
transgender troops to serve “in any capacity.” Four lawsuits
have been filed challenging the ban.
(Related: Trump
says military will bar transgender troops.)
Last month, a federal judge in
Washington kept in place a hold on the ban. In a 31-page ruling,
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman said that transgender people
represent a “protected class” and that “any attempt to exclude
them from military service will be looked at with the highest level
of care, and will be subject to the Court's 'strict scrutiny.' This
means that before Defendants can implement the Ban, they must show
that it was sincerely motivated by compelling interests, rather than
by prejudice or stereotype, and that it is narrowly tailored to
achieve those interests.”
The DOJ's filing did not provide an
explanation for its appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the
Washington
Blade reported.
Plaintiffs in the case, nine
transgender people who are serving or wish to serve in the military,
three groups and the state of Washington, are represented by Lambda
Legal and OutServe-SLDN.
Pechman first halted implementation of
the ban in a December ruling, saying that the policy “is likely
unconstitutional.”
According to the Los
Angeles Blade, Pechman refused to issue a permanent
injunction in April, which means the case is likely heading to trial.