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The Pentagon is asking a federal judge to allow its trans military ban to proceed.
The hearing comes as Judge Ana Reyes's injunction was scheduled to take effect.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has scheduled an emergency hearing Friday after the Trump administration filed a last-minute request to dissolve an injunction blocking its transgendermilitary ban. The hearing is set for 11:00 a.m.
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The request follows a Tuesday ruling by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, who issued a preliminary injunction halting the enforcement of President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14183, which directed Secretary of State Pete Hegseth to devise plans to expel transgender people from the armed services. Reyes condemned the policy as “soaked in animus and dripping with pretext," and granted an injunction blocking the policy. The injunction was set to take effect at 10:01 a.m. Friday.
Related: Federal judge blocks Trump's transgender military ban
The Trump administration’s motion comes after the Department of Defense issued new guidance on Friday, claiming to narrow the scope of the ban. The revised memo clarifies that the phrase “exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria” now applies only to individuals who meet specific diagnostic criteria, including clinically significant distress or impairment lasting at least six months. Gender dysphoria is the medical condition that transgender people experience when their gender identity and gender presentation are incongruent.
The government argues that this change justifies lifting the injunction, claiming the ban now applies only to those with a medical diagnosis rather than all transgender service members. By focusing on medical standards and deployability, the administration believes it can now justify the policy as necessary for military readiness and national security. Reyes outlined in her 79-page opinion how trans troops show higher levels of readiness than their cisgender counterparts diagnosed with depression, who are permitted to serve.
Related: Transgender service members relieved after judge blocks Trump's military ban
An attorney for the plaintiffs told The Advocate that the legal team is “digesting” the government’s motion ahead of today’s hearing.
The Pentagon had planned to begin involuntary separationsfrom the military on March 28.
This story is developing.
