US Court Rules Transgender Military Ban Likely Unconstitutional as Hegseth Purges Officers

The Trump administration’s effort to exclude transgender individuals from the US military has suffered a sharp legal setback after a federal appeals court ruled the policy likely unconstitutional. On Monday, a 2-1 panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that the ban, introduced by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth last year, was motivated by animus toward transgender people and lacked a rational basis. While the Supreme Court permitted the policy to take effect in 2025 during ongoing litigation, the appeals court panel froze its application to currently serving troops, allowing them to remain for now while cases proceed. The ruling does not, however, prevent the Pentagon from turning away new trans recruits. Coverage from Brasília to Hong Kong noted the majority’s blunt language: Judge Robert Wilkins, an Obama appointee, described the measure as “demeaning” and arbitrary, reflecting what he and his colleague Judge Judith Rogers saw as a plain violation of the constitutional guarantee of equal protection.

That legal drama was unfolding even as the Pentagon chief stirred a separate controversy over loyalty. In Moscow, the daily Kommersant reported that Hegseth had blocked the promotion of eight US Navy captains to one-star admiral, including two women and two black officers, while delaying the advancement of several more senior admirals. The Wall Street Journal, cited by Kommersant, said the move followed similar intervention in recent Army promotions. US media later confirmed, with ABC News reporting that the Navy officers were removed for reasons including their participation in diversity and inclusion initiatives, which Hegseth has railed against. At the same time, the secretary is said to be fast-tracking a close associate previously passed over for promotion, heightening alarm among lawmakers and uniformed personnel that promotions are being steered by political fealty rather than merit.

Viewed from Washington, the two episodes reveal a Pentagon leadership that is rapidly reshaping the armed forces along ideological lines. The so-called “Hegseth Policy” on trans service members, as the court termed it, was an early strike in a broader culture war that the secretary has vowed to wage against “woke” influences in the military. Legal analysts in London point out that while the appeals court’s reasoning is forceful, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority may yet reverse it, having already allowed the ban to go into effect. The parallel purge of senior officers, however, risks a more insidious erosion of institutional norms. Critics charge that by ousting experienced commanders on the basis of suspected disloyalty and promoting a favoured inner circle, Hegseth is undermining the apolitical tradition of the US military — a development that allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific are watching with unease. The coming months will test whether Congress, which must confirm senior promotions, will act as a check or continue to acquiesce as loyalty trumps readiness.