A US federal judge on Tuesday indefinitely blocked the implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order effectively barring transgender people from serving openly in the military, a stark blow to the administration’s efforts to curb transgender rights.

US District Judge Ana Reyes found the military ban is “soaked in animus and dripping with pretext. Its language is unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit, and its conclusions bear no relation to fact.” In response to the defendant’s argument that the court must defer to the military’s judgment, Judge Reyes wrote “Yes, the Court must defer. But not blindly.”

In response to the executive order, the Secretary of Defense signed a memorandum in February. The memo paused new accessions and scheduled, unscheduled, and planned medical procedures. The memo additionally directed the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to guide implementation, which was signed in February. The guidance canceled previous issuance, memorandum, and policies related to gender-affirming healthcare. The guidance also stated:

Military service by Service members and applicants for military service who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria is incompatible with military service . . . All unscheduled, scheduled, or planned surgical procedures associated with facilitating sex reassignment for Service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria are cancelled.

Trump announced his intent to restrict transgender rights in December 2024, before he took office. Keeping to his word, he issued Executive Order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness in January,” which states that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for Military Service.” The order effectively bans transgender people from being able to serve in the military and has thus resulted in a suit by rights groups.

Judge Reyes granted the plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction until March 21, 2025, at 10:00 am Eastern, to provide Defendants time to consider filing a motion for an emergency stay in the D.C. Circuit.