Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took aim at U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Saturday after she blocked the Pentagon from enforcing President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender individuals from serving in the military. Hegseth sarcastically suggested that Reyes should report to military bases since she is now, in his words, “a top military planner.”
Reyes, a Washington, D.C., judge, issued a preliminary injunction last week, halting the enforcement of Trump’s policy, which sought to prohibit individuals from serving in the military if their gender identity did not match their biological sex. The ruling is the latest development in the ongoing legal battle over transgender rights in the U.S. military.
Trump’s Executive Order Sparks Legal Battle
President Trump’s January 27 executive order argued that allowing transgender individuals to serve conflicts with the military’s standards of discipline and integrity.
“Expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,” the order stated.
The directive instructed the Department of Defense to update its medical standards, pronoun policies, and recruitment guidelines to align with this stance. Trump also maintained that beyond the medical treatments associated with gender transition, adopting a gender identity inconsistent with biological sex undermines the military’s values of truthfulness, honor, and discipline.
Judge Reyes Calls Trump’s Policy “Unabashedly Demeaning”
Judge Reyes strongly condemned Trump’s order, calling its language “unabashedly demeaning” and asserting that it stigmatizes transgender individuals as inherently unfit for service.
“The court knows that this opinion will lead to heated public debate and appeals. In a healthy democracy, both are positive outcomes,” Reyes wrote in her ruling.
She went further, stating that the policy likely violates constitutional rights, particularly in relation to equal protection under the law.
Hegseth Responds with Sarcasm
In response to Reyes’ ruling, Hegseth took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his frustration.
“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.
Hegseth’s comments reflect broader concerns among military and conservative leaders who argue that judges should not dictate military policy—a stance that has fueled debates over the role of the judiciary in national defense matters.
Trump Administration to Appeal Ruling
Following Reyes’ decision, the judge delayed her order until Friday morning, allowing the Trump administration time to appeal—which officials confirmed they would do.
The administration is expected to argue that military policies should be decided by military leadership and the executive branch, not the courts. The legal battle could ultimately reach the Supreme Court, where similar cases on transgender military rights have been debated in the past.
Reyes: “Every Service Member Deserves Respect”
Despite the controversy, Judge Reyes stood by her ruling, stating that transgender service members deserve the same respect and gratitude as any other soldier.
“Indeed, the cruel irony is that thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed—some risking their lives—to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them,” Reyes wrote.
She also rejected the argument that allowing transgender troops to serve burdens the military, stating that the government has not proven any harm in maintaining the current policy while litigation continues.
A Heated Debate Over Military Standards and Rights
The battle over transgender military service is far from over. While Trump and his allies argue that military standards must be upheld, critics insist that banning transgender individuals is discriminatory and unconstitutional.
With the administration vowing to fight the ruling, and activists pushing for greater inclusivity in the armed forces, this issue remains a hotly contested topic in both political and legal spheres. As the case moves forward, the balance between military readiness, constitutional rights, and presidential authority will remain at the center of this national debate.