Trump asks Supreme Court to let him enforce transgender military ban for now

Washington — President Trump on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to allow his administration's policy prohibiting transgender people from serving in the military to take effect while legal challenges to the ban move forward.

The request for the Supreme Court's intervention comes after a federal appeals left in place a lower court order that prevents the Trump administration from enforcing the ban nationwide. The administration has attacked these broad orders, known as nationwide or universal injunctions, issued by federal district court judges as improperly setting policy for the country.

Mr. Trump banned transgender people from serving in the military during his first term in office, but the policy was rescinded by former President Joe Biden. When Mr. Trump returned to office in January for his second term, he issued a new executive order that declared it to be U.S. government policy to "establish high standards for troop readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity," and said that policy is "inconsistent with the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria."