一家联邦上诉法院周一得出结论，特朗普政府的跨性别军事禁令可能违反宪法，“似乎是出于伤害一个政治上不受欢迎的群体的纯粹愿望。”
在一项2比1的裁决中，华盛顿特区巡回上诉法院确认了下级法院的一项裁决，该裁决阻止国防部以性别焦虑为由解除现役军人的职务。
“在这个初步阶段，我的结论是，赫格塞斯政策既武断又基于敌意，出于这些原因，该政策侵犯了原告-被上诉人平等受法律保护的宪法权利，”法官罗伯特·威尔金斯写道，他指的是国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯。
该决定仅适用于起诉政府的服役人员，并不禁止五角大楼阻止跨性别者参军。
据法院称，未来的军人可以在案件完全通过法院审理后寻求救济，而现役军人面临更严重的困难，被开除出军队。
“对于那些面临被开除的军人来说，不清楚他们能多容易恢复原职并恢复健康。但即使他们在分开后可以复职，在我们看来，结束一段军旅生涯比推迟一段军旅生涯的开始要困难得多，”威尔金斯法官写道。
代表跨性别服役人员提起诉讼的首席律师称该裁决“有力地证明了原告非凡的勇气和对国家坚定不移的承诺”。"
“这一决定性的裁决证实，特朗普政府没有合法的依据来解雇跨性别军人，这些人符合每一项苛刻的标准，并一次又一次地证明了他们的健康和服务奉献精神，”GLAD Law跨性别和酷儿权利高级主任珍妮弗·列维在一份声明中说。
国家性少数群体权利中心法律主任香农·明特称这一裁决是“现状的巨大转变”
“服役人员正准备被带到审查委员会面前，然后被解雇——尽管他们已经光荣服役多年。明特说:“法院今天确认了地方法院的审慎调查结果，即本届政府禁止跨性别者服兵役没有合法依据。
作为对这一裁决的回应，海格塞斯在社交媒体上写道，“斯科特再见。”
法官贾斯汀·沃克(Justin Walker)是由共和党总统任命的唯一一名法官，他不同意这一观点，并表示军队成员可能会被剥夺保障给平民的某些权利。
“像今天的大多数人一样，我珍惜这些权利，因此我理解大多数人史无前例地干预军事事务背后的冲动。但是因为原告是军人而不是平民，因为我们是法官而不是将军，我恭敬地表示异议，”他写道。
“我们既没有专业知识，也没有权力决定军方是否可以将原告排除在军队之外。宪法赋予国会和总司令这一权力，”他补充说。
Appeals court blocks removal of transgender troops, but allows restrictions on recruits
A federal appeals court on Monday concluded that the Trump administration'stransgender military banis likely unconstitutional and "appears to be driven by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group."
In a 2-1 decision, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court's decision blocking the Department of Defense from removing current servicemembers because of their gender dysphoria.
"At this preliminary stage, I conclude that the Hegseth Policy is both arbitrary and based upon animus, and for those reasons the Policy violates Plaintiff-Appellees' constitutional right to equal protection of the law," wrote Judge Robert Wilkins, referring to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The decision only applies to the service members whosued the administrationand does not bar the Pentagon from blocking transgender people from joining the military.
According to the court, prospective military members can seek relief after the case has completely moved through the courts, while active service members face a more serious hardship by being expelled from the military.
"For those servicemembers facing expulsion, it is not clear how easily they can be reinstated and made whole. But even if they can be reinstated after being separated, it appears to us to be a much greater hardship to end a military career than to delay the start of one," Judge Wilkins wrote.
The lead attorneys representing the transgender service members who brought the suit called the ruling "a powerful vindication of the plaintiffs' extraordinary courage and unwavering commitment to their country."
"This decisive ruling confirms that the Trump Administration has no legitimate basis to discharge transgender servicemembers who have met every demanding standard and proven, time and again, their fitness and dedication to serve," GLAD Law Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights Jennifer Levi said in a statement.
National Center for LGBTQ Rights Legal Director Shannon Minter called the ruling a "dramatic shift in the status quo."
"Service members were preparing to be hauled before review boards and discharged -- despite years of honorable service. The court today affirmed the District Court's careful findings that this administration's ban on transgender military service has no legitimate basis," Minter said.
In response to the ruling, Hegseth wrote on social media, "See you at SCOTUS."
Judge Justin Walker -- the sole judge on the panel appointed to the bench by a Republican president -- dissented and said members of the military could be deprived of certain rights guaranteed to the civilians.
"Like today's majority, I cherish those rights, and so I understand the impulse behind the majority's unprecedented intervention into military affairs. But because the plaintiffs are service members not civilians, and because we are judges not generals, I respectfully dissent," he wrote.
"We have neither the expertise nor the authority to decide whether the military can exclude the plaintiffs from its ranks. The Constitution assigns that authority to Congress and the Commander in Chief," he added.
