WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a decision in Talbott v. USA (formerly Talbott v. Trump) upholding a preliminary injunction halting the discharge of transgender service members The preliminary injunction was issued by District Court Judge Ana Reyes on March 18, 2025. In a forceful order in which Reyes held that the ban undermines national security and is likely unconstitutional, she called it “soaked with animus and dripping with pretext.”

However, Judge Reyes’ order was temporarily stayed by the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit pending the outcome of today’s decision on the merits. As the result of today’s decision, the preliminary injunction will take effect—blocking the government from discharging the transgender servicemember plaintiffs in Talbott.

National Center for LGBTQ Rights Legal Director Shannon Minter and GLAD Law Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights Jennifer Levi responded to today’s win for transgender troops:

“This is a dramatic shift in the status quo. Before today, the Trump administration was actively taking steps to discharge these courageous plaintiffs. Today’s decision stops this administration from doing so,” said National Center for LGBTQ Rights Legal Director Shannon Minter. “Servicemembers were preparing to be hauled before review boards and discharged—despite years of honorable service. The court today affirmed the District Court’s careful findings that this administration’s ban on transgender military service has no legitimate basis.”

“Today’s decision is a powerful vindication of the plaintiffs’ extraordinary courage and unwavering commitment to their country,” said GLAD Law Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights Jennifer Levi. “This decisive ruling confirms that the Trump Administration has no legitimate basis to discharge transgender servicemembers who have met every demanding standard and proven, time and again, their fitness and dedication to serve.”

Today’s ruling affirms the District Court’s finding, concluding that: “this is not a case where we are left to speculate why the government drafted such broad undifferentiated classifications… we have direct evidence in this case that animus motivated the classifications in the Hegseth Policy.”

National Center for LGBTQ Rights Legal Director Shannon Minter argued before the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on January 22, 2026. He stated that the Trump administration’s Hegseth Policy sought an “unprecedented, chaotic mass discharge of thousands of qualified troops based on nothing more than disapproval of transgender people” and “attacks servicemembers who have deployed around the world in dangerous assignments in places like Iraq and Afghanistan and have received multiple awards for valor and performance.” He also noted that plaintiffs are “highly qualified and have met every standard, with deployments before, during, and after transition.”

On April 15, 2026, the Talbott plaintiffs filed a motion for class certification to ensure rulings against the transgender military ban will apply to all transgender service members. A hearing on that motion is scheduled for June 30, 2026.

Talbott v. Trump was the first legal challenge filed against President Trump’s recent transgender military ban executive order. NCLR’s Shannon Minter and GLAD Law’s Jennifer Levi, the lead attorneys in Talbott, are transgender themselves and each have more than three decades of experience litigating landmark and key LGBTQ cases. Together, Minter and Levi led the legal fight in 2017 against the transgender military ban in Doe v. Trump and Stockman v. Trump, which also secured a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking that ban.

Talbott was brought by LGBTQ+ legal groups the National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR) and GLAD Law along with legal counsel from Wardenski P.C. and Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein.

###

The National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR) is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. Since its founding in 1977, NCLR has maintained a longstanding commitment to racial and economic justice and the LGBTQ community’s most vulnerable. www.nclrights.org

GLAD Law (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders) has been a leading force in LGBTQ+ rights for nearly 50 years. With deep roots in New England and impact nationwide, we use strategic litigation, legislation, and public education to fight discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and HIV status. GLAD Law’s bold strategy and precedent-setting victories have reshaped the legal landscape, advancing equality for all people facing discrimination and social barriers. www.gladlaw.org