Trump asks Supreme Court to allow immediate firing of 29 transgender military service members

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the immediate removal of 29 active-duty and other transgender service members, before their case challenging a Pentagon ban goes to trial in January. In an urgent appeal, the government calls the issue of “exceptional importance,” and Solicitor General John Sauer argues that the military’s authority to decide who can serve is constitutionally significant. Several lower courts previously suggested the ban was likely rooted in animus and violates due process and equal protection, though the government disputes that. The justices will consider whether to hear the case this fall. Until then, the plaintiffs—29 in total, including reservists, National Guard members, and one prospective enlistee—remain in the forces. GLAD Law attorney Jennifer Levi criticized the request as a waste of taxpayer money.