Court Deals 2nd Blow to Trump Transgender Military Ban

The Washington Blade reports:

A federal judge in Maryland has issued a ruling against President Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military, the second court decision against the policy.

In a 53-page decision, U.S. District Judge Marvin Garbis, an appointee of George H.W. Bush, determined a preliminary injunction against the ban is warranted because it violates the right to equal protection under the law.

“There is no doubt that the directives in the president’s memorandum set apart transgender service members to be treated differently from all other military service members,” Garbis writes. “Defendants argue that deference is owed to military personnel decisions and to the military’s policymaking process. The court does not disagree. However, the court takes note of the amici of retired military officers and former national security officials, who state ‘this is not a case where deference is warranted, in light of the absence of any considered military policymaking process, and the sharp departure from decades of precedent on the approach of the U.S. military to major personnel policy changes.”

See full story here.