Appeals court allows current transgender service members to stay but permits blocking new enlistments

A three-judge panel of the U.S. court of appeals for Washington DC ruled Monday that transgender service members already serving may remain in uniform while the armed services retain authority to block new enlistments. The majority opinion upheld a March 2025 district-court injunction protecting six active-duty plaintiffs but limited its reach to the estimated 1,000 openly transgender service members.

Next steps The ruling was stayed from immediate effect, giving the government time to seek rehearing by the full appeals court. The case is also expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. A dissenting judge argued that courts lack authority to second-guess military personnel decisions and that only the executive and legislative branches may determine armed-forces composition.