President Donald Trump has formally asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold his administration’s reinstated ban on transgender individuals serving in the U.S. military. The move seeks to override lower court rulings that blocked enforcement of the policy, which the administration says is critical to maintaining military readiness, unit cohesion, and national defense.
The request comes as part of an ongoing legal battle over whether individuals suffering from gender dysphoria should be permitted to serve in combat roles or receive taxpayer-funded gender transition treatments while enlisted. Trump’s legal team argues that the military should not be used as a platform for social experimentation—and that policies must be based on mission effectiveness, not identity politics.
“This isn’t about discrimination,” one senior defense official stated. “It’s about making sure our military is focused on winning wars—not managing politically motivated distractions or costly medical procedures unrelated to combat performance.”
The Trump administration’s policy, reinstated in January 2025, prohibits individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria from enlisting or continuing active service unless they adhere to their biological sex. It reverses the open-service directive implemented during the Obama years, which allowed individuals to serve under their preferred gender identity.
Military leaders backing the policy change argue that allowing individuals with significant psychological or medical needs to serve in high-stress combat environments places unnecessary strain on unit performance and jeopardizes overall mission success. They also note the rising costs of transition-related treatments and the operational burdens such procedures impose on readiness.
Predictably, activist groups and left-leaning judges have tried to block the policy, claiming it violates constitutional rights. But the administration maintains that military service is not a right—it’s a privilege based on stringent physical, mental, and psychological requirements. The case is now in the hands of the Supreme Court, which has asked for responses by May 1.
The ruling will determine whether the executive branch can prioritize battlefield effectiveness over progressive social policies, and whether courts will once again overstep their authority in second-guessing military leadership.
President Trump, who campaigned on restoring strength to the U.S. Armed Forces, has consistently made it clear that America’s military must be focused on one thing: defending the nation. “We are building the most powerful military in the world,” Trump said earlier this year. “We will not weaken it with radical ideology.”