Appeals court rules Hegseth illegally banned active transgender troops, but can bar new recruits

A divided federal appeals court panel ruled Monday that the Trump administration is unconstitutionally expelling troops actively serving because they are transgender, but it can enforce its ban against those seeking to enlist. 

It’s a mixed result for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has battled in court ever since taking steps last year to effectively bar openly transgender Americans from the nation’s armed forces. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia voted 2-1 that Hegseth’s decision to expel people who are currently serving was motivated by animus against transgender people, violating their constitutional rights. 

“Unless we are going to fall for the old Groucho Marx line — ’who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?’ — we have direct evidence in this case that animus motivated the classifications in the Hegseth Policy,” wrote U.S. Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins. 

Wilkins ruled against........

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