The Pentagon can move forward with plan to limit transgender military service while lawsuits continue, the Supreme Court announced Tuesday.

The decision comes after President Donald Trump announced in July 2017 on Twitter that the government would not allow “transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.” He later directed the military to return to a pre-Obama era policy.

In March 2018, the Trump administration announced that after studying the issue, it was revising its policy again.

The new policy generally bars transgender individuals from serving or enlisting unless they serve "in their biological sex" and "do not seek to undergo gender transition." An exception allows the service of transgender service members who previously were allowed to serve under the Obama-era rule. Groups representing transgender individuals have responded by arguing that the policy is essentially a ban on the service by transgender individuals.

Groups representing transgender individuals responded by suing the administration in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Washington state and California. The Trump administration lost early rounds in those cases, with courts issuing nationwide injunctions barring the administration from altering course. As a result, transgender individuals continue to serve openly and transgender individuals have been allowed to enlist in the military since Jan. 1, 2018.

The Supreme Court’s decision allows the ban to be enforced while the appeals court process takes place.

https://www.wcvb.com/article/us-supreme-court-allows-trump-transgender-military-ban-to-take-effect-as-lawsuit-continues/25990345