Federal judge dismantles Trump's trans military ban in explosive hearing

[Eugene]

Source: The Advocate

Federal judge dismantles Trump's trans military ban in explosive hearing

Judge Ana Reyes accused Department of Justice attorneys of being unprepared.

By Christopher Wiggins
March 13 2025 1:02 PM EST

A federal judge sharply questioned the Trump administration’s justification for banning transgender Americans from military service during a heated, five-hour hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, highlighting contradictions, gaps, and inadequate preparation in the government’s arguments.

Government attorney stumbles under questioning

U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, appointed by former President Joe Biden as the first LGBTQ+ judge on the D.C. District Court, pressed the Trump Justice Department attorney Jason Manion — a Federalist Society-affiliated lawyer and former special counsel to Republican Sen.Ted Cruz of Texas—on the administration’s claims that transgender service members pose medical or readiness risks. Manion stumbled through the entire hearing, appearing flatfooted, while plaintiffs’ attorneys, including GLAD Law’s Jennifer Levi and the National Center for Lesbian Rights’ Shannon Minter, spoke for less than five minutes in a session that began at 10:30 a.m. and concluded at 5 p.m.

Judge challenges 'cherry-picked' studies

Reyes, who pointed out that the government has admitted that it doesn’t even track service members by gender identity, accused the administration of “cherry-picking” and “egregiously misquoting” scientific evidence, noting the government’s fundamental misunderstanding of reports used to defend the policy. She criticized the administration’s data interpretation, pointing out that the government’s own studies revealed transgender service members have lower rates of disability incidents compared to cisgender counterparts serving with conditions like depression. Highlighting a critical contradiction, she pointed out how service members who require insulin or other hormone therapies deploy routinely, yet similar treatments for transgender personnel were inexplicably considered too complicated.

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Read more: https://www.advocate.com/news/judge-skeptical-trans-military-ban

Alternate link: https://news.yahoo.com/news/federal-judge-dismantles-trumps-trans-130219419.html

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. How long before something is done to this judge one way or another

I don’t know if a judge can be removed for any reason at this level but this is a brave judge because bad things are going to happen now.

I mean you’re not even allowed to say the words gay or trans in the federal government anymore let alone acknowledge their existence, when will the Supreme Court overturn gay marriage rights

[reACTIONary]

5. The only thing that can be done would be...

... impeachment. And that ain't going to happen.

[Eliot Rosewater]

7. Impeached by who? What level of judge is this?

[reACTIONary]

9. The OP headline states ....

... "Federal Judge".

Only Congress has the authority to remove an Article III judge. This is done through a vote of impeachment by the House and a trial and conviction by the Senate. As of September 2017, only 15 federal judges have been impeached, and only eight have been convicted.

https://www.uscourts.gov/data-news/reports/handbooks-manuals/a-journalists-guide-federal-courts/judges-and-judicial-administration-journalists-guide#:~:text=Only%20Congress%20has%20the%20authority,only%20eight%20have%20been%20convicted.

[Eliot Rosewater]

10. Does it require majority only?

If so my money says not only will any patriotic judge be impeached when possible but most if not all of them will be eventually.

[reACTIONary]

11. The Constitution....

The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict, and the penalty for an impeached official upon conviction is removal from office. In some cases, the Senate has also disqualified such officials from holding public offices in the future. There is no appeal.

https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/impeachment.htm#:~:text=The%20Constitution%20requires%20a%20two,There%20is%20no%20appeal.

[roscoeroscoe]

2. Those Pesky Facts

Getting in the way of righteous prejudice!

[cynical_idealist]

3. wrongeus prejudice

[MLWR]

4. This judge is on the side of right.

She is well aware that the first line of the revised version of the Martin Niemoeller Poem will start with "First they came for the transgender people..."

[Daleuhlmann]

6. Good for Judge Reyes!

She totally destroyed this political hack, who had once worked for Ted Cruz. Need we say more?

[NH Ethylene]

8. You mean the word 'trans' isn't enough for the judge?

What about the judge impeachment threat being bandied about?

Good for her to doing her job in these dark times.