President Donald Trump, in a ceremony at the Oval Office, witnessed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being sworn in as the Secretary of Health and Human Services on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, as shown in a photo by Alex Brandon.
A judge recently ruled that the Trump administration acted unlawfully when it removed two transgender men from the U.S. Air Force. The removal was carried out under the president’s executive order that banned transgender individuals from serving in the military. Despite both men having impressive records of unblemished and decorated service, they were suddenly deemed unfit by administration officials. This decision was deemed unconstitutional by the judge due to the cloud of uncertainty surrounding the dismissals.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Christine O’Hearn marks a growing trend of legal challenges against Trump’s executive order. The order seeks to prohibit transgender individuals from serving in the military after years of being permitted to do so openly. In a similar case, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in the District of Columbia issued a preliminary injunction against the ban. This decision came in response to a lawsuit filed on Jan. 28 by service members who opposed the implementation of Trump’s order.
The complaint argued that the ban on transgender service members violates the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment by discriminating against people “based on their sex and based on their transgender status.”
