Federal judge rips DOJ lawyers, demands written retraction from Hegseth over transgender military policy post
Trans rights groups seeking preliminary injunction to halt military ban of transgender troops
By Stephen Sorace , Jake Gibson Fox News
Published March 12, 2025 1:45pm EDT
A federal judge tore into lawyers from the Justice Department on Wednesday, homing in on a retweet from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about disqualifying transgender troops from service "without an exemption."
U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee who previously stated that the idea of only two sexes is not "biologically correct," heard arguments on the Pentagon’s attempt to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military as trans rights groups seek a preliminary injunction to halt the policy entirely.
During the hearing, Reyes pointed to a post on X in which Hegseth quoted, "Pentagon says transgender troops are disqualified from service without an exemption." The post in question linked to a Fox News Digital article about an internal Pentagon memo.
The memo, revealed in a court filing late last month, says U.S. service members who are transgender or otherwise exhibit gender dysphoria are prohibited from military service unless they obtain an exemption.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-rips-doj-lawyers-demands-written-retraction-from-hegseth-over-transgender-military-policy-post
