Appeals Court Sides With Hegseth On ‘Trans’ Military Ban, Scolds Biden Judge
“In our view, the court afforded insufficient deference to the Secretary’s considered judgment. Accordingly, we stay the preliminary injunction pending the government’s appeal,” the three-judge DC Circuit Court of Appeals said, scolding Judge Ana Reyes in a 2-1 decision.
“The United States military enforces strict medical standards to ensure that only physically and mentally fit individuals join its ranks. For decades, these requirements barred service by individuals with gender dysphoria, a medical condition associated with clinically significant distress,” wrote Judge Gregory G. Katsas, a Trump appointee, in the majority opinion which was enjoined by Judge Neomi Jehangir Rao, another Trump appointee.
“The 2025 policy generally bars individuals with gender dysphoria from serving in the Armed Forces. The Secretary of Defense concluded that this policy would advance important military interests of combat readiness, unit cohesion, and cost control. In doing so, he consulted materials compiled to assess the 2016 and 2018 policy changes, as well as more recent studies regarding the impacts of gender dysphoria on those with the condition and on their military service. The district court nonetheless preliminarily enjoined the 2025 policy based on its own contrary assessment of the evidence,” said the ruling.
In January, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders — the “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” order and the “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” order — directing the U.S. military to eliminate the use of race- or sex-based preferences in its operations and personnel policies.
The orders also instruct the Department of War to review internal practices related to gender identity and pronoun usage as part of a broader assessment of military standards and readiness.
In March, the Trump administration revised its policy regarding service members with gender dysphoria and asked Judge Reyes to lift her earlier preliminary injunction blocking implementation.
During the hearing, Reyes sharply questioned Justice Department attorneys, at one point asking whether they were aware of how military spending on Viagra compared to the costs associated with gender dysphoria treatment.
Hegseth took to the X platform in March to shred Reyes’ decision.
“Since ‘Judge’ Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers on how to execute High Value Target Raids…after that, Commander Reyes can dispatch to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets on counterinsurgency warfare,” he wrote.
In May, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump Administration to enforce its ban on transgender troops as the legal challenges made it through the lower courts.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday erased a lower court ruling that had upheld New York’s strict school vaccine rules that don’t allow for religious exemptions and ordered judges to reconsider the case with a new focus on parental rights.
Amish parents had challenged the law, arguing New York once recognized religious exemptions but eliminated them in 2019, The Washington Times reported. A federal district court and then the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the families, however.
Recommended for youThe Supreme Court told the appeals court to reevaluate the case in light of last term’s ruling involving the lack of parental opt-outs from the LGBTQ diversity curriculum in Montgomery County, Maryland. The justices vacated the 2nd Circuit opinion, removing it from effect.
Kelly Shackelford, president of First Liberty, which represented the Amish families, called the order a victory.
“The Amish community in New York wants to be left alone to live out their faith just like they have for 200 years,” he said. “The Amish take their faith very seriously and are simply asking the State of New York to respect their sincerely held beliefs.”
A Little Girl Saves a Billionaire’s Life — Then He Discovers Who She Really Is
It was a scorching afternoon in Dallas when Alexander Reed, once celebrated as a tech prodigy and self-made billionaire, collapsed on the sidewalk — and no one noticed.
People rushed past without slowing down. Some assumed he was drunk. Others thought he was just another exhausted executive in an expensive suit. No one realized that the CEO of Nexora Technologies was lying there, barely conscious.
He had just lost fifty million dollars in a disastrous investment. His mother was in intensive care after suffering a stroke. Years of sleepless nights and relentless pressure had finally broken him.
But fate had other plans.
A little girl in a bright red dress, chasing butterflies nearby, froze when she heard the sound of his fall. She ran toward him, placed her tiny hand on his chest, and whispered softly, “He’s still breathing.”
With trembling fingers, she grabbed his phone and dialed emergency services. Her calm voice and quick thinking saved his life.
Neither of them realized that this moment — a stranger’s compassion on a blazing Texas afternoon — would change everything.
Because the man she had just saved was not a stranger.
He was…
Her father.
A child born from a brief love story years ago.
Alexander blinked in shock as he looked at her. The little girl stared back with eyes that felt hauntingly familiar.
Her smile. Her gaze. Something deep inside him stirred. A memory long buried surfaced — a summer night, a soft laugh, a promise he never kept.
“Daddy…” she whispered, her voice small but certain.
The word pierced through him.
He leaned forward slowly, hands shaking.
“Are you… are you really mine?” he asked, his voice barely steady.
She nodded shyly, clutching the worn teddy bear she carried everywhere.
In that moment, Alexander felt his heart shatter and mend all at once. For years, he had chased success and wealth, ignoring the fragile human connections that truly mattered.
And now destiny — in the form of a fearless little girl — was giving him a second chance.
The paramedics stood nearby, quietly respecting the scene.
Alexander gently brushed her hair from her face, tears filling his eyes.
“I will never let you go again,” he whispered.
That day, on the scorching pavement of Dallas, a life was saved — and a family long separated was finally brought back together.
Past mistakes and future hope met in the eyes of a little girl brave enough to change everything.
