U.S. Judge Ana Reyes Demands Retraction from Defense Secretary Hegseth Over Transgender Military Ban by March 17

During a five-hour hearing on a lawsuit challenging the ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, sharply criticized Department of Justice lawyers for their lack of preparation and understanding of the policy. The lawsuit, filed by 20 transgender military members including Nicholas Talbott, seeks to block the Trump administration's executive order banning transgender people from military service. The judge questioned the government's attorneys on whether she should defer to the judgment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who issued the ban after being in the position for about 30 days. Judge Reyes demanded that Hegseth issue a written retraction over a post on X from February 27 stating that transgender troops are disqualified from service without an exemption. This demand came after the judge highlighted discrepancies between the government's court filings and public statements, including Hegseth's social media post. DOJ lawyer Jason Manion argued that Hegseth was using 'shorthand,' but the judge was unconvinced, giving the government until March 17 to obtain a declaration from Hegseth. The hearing included a 30-minute break for government lawyers to review a Pentagon memo and literature review on gender dysphoria, which the judge had warned them about on February 19. DOJ lawyer Jason Lynch admitted he hadn't read the relevant materials. The judge expressed skepticism about the policy's legality, noting that it 'cherry-picked' data and misrepresented studies on combat readiness. Attorney Jennifer Levi argued that the directives question the integrity of transgender service members, seeking an injunction under the Due Process clause of the Fifth Amendment for discrimination. Judge Reyes indicated she might rule on the matter as early as next week.