During the second day of oral arguments, a federal judge in D.C. engaged Justice Department lawyers in a lively debate over the Trump administration’s executive order regarding transgender U.S. service members in the military. The judge, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, raised several hypothetical questions and made references to video games in her questioning.
Judge Reyes sought clarification on the specifics of the executive order, signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 27, which mandates updates to the Defense Department’s guidance on “trans-identifying medical standards for military service” and the rescission of conflicting guidance. Despite Trump’s directive to eliminate “radical gender ideology” from the military, the order left Judge Reyes, a Biden appointee, puzzled about how this should be implemented.
Throughout the proceedings, Judge Reyes challenged the Justice Department lawyers with pointed questions about the administration’s recent actions against transgender individuals. She questioned whether these actions, including efforts to revoke regulations ensuring equal access to homeless shelters for trans-identifying individuals, could be considered discriminatory.
Jason Lynch, representing the Justice Department, admitted that they did not have an answer to Judge Reyes’s query regarding what Jesus might think of these actions. The back-and-forth continued to keep both sides on edge, though it did little to provide immediate clarity on the implications of the executive order.
At one point, Judge Reyes expressed her skepticism about the order, describing it as displaying “unadulterated animus” towards transgender service members. However, she acknowledged the national interest in maintaining a well-prepared military.
As the proceedings unfolded, Judge Reyes humorously illustrated her concerns with the executive order by proposing absurd scenarios, such as equipping all DOD units with Miss Pac-Man machines. She quipped about the lack of specifics in the order and challenged Lynch to justify its effectiveness in achieving military readiness.
The transgender military policy is set to go into effect on Feb. 28, with a hearing scheduled for March 3 to further examine the executive order. Judge Reyes has indicated that she will withhold judgment until the Trump administration clarifies how the policy will impact transgender service members.
Fox News’s Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
