NEW YORK – In response to media reports that the Department of Justice will not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and prevent transgender people from entering the military as of January 1, Joshua Block, Senior Staff Attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and HIV Project issued the following reaction:

”This is a victory for our country and all of the brave men and women who are transgender, and are ready, willing, and able to serve. Thousands of men and women who are transgender are already serving and meeting the same standards of fitness and deployability that apply to everyone else. We will continue to fight for our clients until a final judgment is issued striking down President Trump’s unconstitutional ban for good.”

Just last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit had denied the Trump administration's request to delay the January 1 enlistment date in the ACLU's case, Stone v. Trump.