White House Fails Yet Again to Convince a Judge That Banning Trans Troops Is a Good Idea

Donald Trump is facing a new round of opposition in his battle to persecute trans people by banning them from serving in the military.

Two federal courts have already ruled against the ban, ordering Trump to open the military to transgender recruits starting January 1. Just last month, the federal judge presiding over one of the rulings stated:

The Court explained that the effect of its Order was to revert to the status quo with regard to accession and retention that existed before the issuance of the Presidential Memorandum—that is, the retention and accession policies established in the June 30, 2016 Directive-type Memorandum as modified by Secretary of Defense James Mattis on June 30, 2017. Those policies allowed for the accession of transgender individuals into the military beginning on January 1, 2018. Any action by any of the Defendants that changes this status quo is preliminarily enjoined.

On Monday, the administration’s latest request for a delay of this order was denied, with a federal court judge saying that Trump’s request for more time was based on “vague claims.”

That incremental piece of news was swamped, however, by the Associated Press, which tweeted this:

As many have pointed out, this headline seems to imply that the Pentagon is defying Trump, rather than simply following court orders:

Additionally, it is unclear whether or not the administration will appeal the denial of the emergency stay that they requested:

But what remains true is that, as of now, trans troops are still scheduled to be legally allowed to join the military in 2018, whether Trump likes it or not.