Trump's First-Term Policy Reinstated After Biden Repeal
Supreme Court Overturns Lower Court Rulings and Allows Enforcement
The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the implementation of the Trump administration's policy banning transgender individuals from serving in the military.
On the 6th (local time), international media outlets such as AP and CNN reported that the Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration could immediately enforce its policy that effectively excludes transgender individuals from military service. This decision overturned injunctions previously issued by the federal district courts in Seattle and Washington, D.C. Although three liberal justices dissented, the conservative-majority Court, with six conservative justices, prevailed. Neither the majority nor the dissenting opinions provided additional explanations.
In January, shortly after starting his second term, President Donald Trump took a series of actions aimed at rolling back transgender rights. In one executive order, he claimed that "the gender identity of transgender service members is incompatible with the honorable, truthful, and disciplined life of a soldier," arguing that their presence negatively affects military readiness.
Previously, during his first term, President Trump had issued a similar executive order, but it faced opposition and could only be implemented following a Supreme Court decision. The policy was later repealed under the Democratic administration of Joe Biden. After returning to office, President Trump ordered the reinstatement of the policy through an executive order signed on January 27. In response, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued guidelines in February instructing each military branch to identify transgender service members within 30 days and prepare discharge procedures. However, about 20 active-duty service members and others opposed to the policy filed lawsuits in federal court seeking to halt the enforcement of President Trump's executive order. Up to now, three federal judges have issued rulings suspending the order's effect.
President Trump ordered the reinstatement through an executive order signed shortly after the start of his second term on January 27. Accordingly, Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense, issued guidelines in February instructing each military branch to identify transgender service members within 30 days and prepare discharge procedures. Reuters·Yonhap News
Amid these developments, Secretary Hegseth posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) immediately after the Supreme Court's decision, stating, "There are no more transgender individuals in the Department of Defense." CNN characterized the ruling as "an important victory for President Trump in finding a breakthrough at the Supreme Court, as several major second-term policies have been stalled in lower courts."
Meanwhile, Sparta Pride, an organization advocating for the rights of transgender service members, estimates that there are currently between 15,000 and 25,000 transgender individuals serving in the U.S. military, accounting for slightly more than 1% of the total force. According to a report released earlier this year by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Department of Defense spent approximately $15 million (about 21.8 billion won) on surgical and non-surgical care for 1,892 transgender service members from 2016 to 2021.
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