The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned a lower court’s ruling blocking President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military. “Although today’s decision is not a final determination on the merits, we must recognize that the Mattis Plan plausibly relies upon the ‘considered professional judgment’ of ‘appropriate military officials’ … and appears to permit some transgender individuals to serve in the military consistent with established military mental health, physical health, and sex-based standards,” wrote the three-judge panel. “In light of the substantial constitutional arguments and the apparent showing that the policy accommodates at least some of plaintiffs’ interests, we think that the public interest weighs in favor of dissolving the injunction.” The Hill has more: Four lawsuits were filed against the ban, and lower courts in all four cases had blocked the policy from taking effect as the suits work their way through the legal system. In March, then-Defense Secretary James Mattis released an implementation plan for Trump’s policy that would allow transgender people to serve if they do so in their biological sex. The Trump administration then asked courts to dissolve their injunctions, arguing the Mattis plan is not a blanket ban on transgender people. The court agreed on this point. “Although the Mattis Plan continues to bar many transgender persons from joining or serving in the military, the record indicates that the plan allows some transgender persons barred under the military’s standards prior to the [open service policy] to join and serve in the military.” Though the policy still cannot take effect because of other nationwide injunctions, the ruling is yet another victory for President Trump… one that hopefully restore common sense back to the American military. Image credit: Ted Eytan on Flickr Hat Tip: The Hill Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Please enter an answer in digits:19 − six = Δ