A federal court has granted a motion to certify a class action lawsuit on behalf of all transgender service members, paving the way for them to continue serving in the military. The lawsuit challenges a Trump administration policy that ordered their removal.
The policy, which was introduced in January 2025, stated that service members with a history of 'gender dysphoria' have medical constraints incompatible with military service. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in June that the Pentagon's transgender military ban was unlawful.
The class action lawsuit could extend protections to all transgender service members currently serving, approximately 4,240 individuals. The government has 45 days to file a petition for rehearing, and the Trump administration could also ask the U.S. Supreme Court to issue an emergency stay to stop the preliminary injunction and class action lawsuit from going into effect.
