Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

U.S. military must accept transgender recruits by Jan. 1, judge rules

Reuters: Transgender recruits will be able to join the U.S. military as of Jan. 1 after a federal judge on Monday denied a request by President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce his ban on transgender troops while the government appeals an order blocking it.

In a ruling, with which the Pentagon said it would comply, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington refused to lift part of her Oct. 30 order stopping the ban from taking effect until the case is resolved, saying it likely violated the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law.

The White House said the Justice Department was reviewing its options.

The Pentagon said in a statement that it would follow court orders and begin processing transgender applicants on Jan. 1.

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