Federal judge rips DOJ lawyers, demands written retraction from Hegseth over transgender military policy post

A federal judge tore into lawyers from the Justice Department on Wednesday, homing in on a retweet from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about disqualifying transgender troops from service “without an exemption.”

U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee who previously stated that the idea of only two sexes is not “biologically correct,” heard arguments on the Pentagon’s attempt to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military as trans rights groups seek a preliminary injunction to halt the policy entirely.

During the hearing, Reyes pointed to a post on X in which Hegseth quoted, “Pentagon says transgender troops are disqualified from service without an exemption.” The post in question linked to a Fox News Digital article about an internal Pentagon memo.

The memo, revealed in a court filing late last month, says U.S. service members who are transgender or otherwise exhibit gender dysphoria are prohibited from military service unless they obtain an exemption.

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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a NATO Defense Ministers meeting at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 13, 2025. (REUTERS/Yves Herman)

When Reyes questioned government lawyers that Hegseth’s repost made it appear that all transgender troops would be disqualified from service, DOJ lawyer Jason Manion argued that Hegseth was only using “shorthand” for the broader policy. 

“Look at the words in the policy,” said Manion.

“No!” said Reyes. “Do you really think you can do that, say one thing in public and then come here to court and say something else entirely?”

Reyes then said that Manion had until Monday to deliver a declaration from Hegseth that he didn’t actually mean all transgender people.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, pictured inset, on Wednesday heard arguments on the Pentagon’s attempt to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military as trans rights groups seek a preliminary injunction to halt the policy entirely. (Getty Images / YouTube / SenatorDurbin, File)

“His words are that this covers all transgender people. I’m not going to speculate that he was just being sloppy,” Reyes said of Hegseth.

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27 that requires the Defense Department to update its guidance regarding “trans-identifying medical standards for military service” and to “rescind guidance inconsistent with military readiness.” 

Government lawyers have argued that Trump and Hegseth have broad authority to set policies for national defense.

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As of December, around 4,240 active duty, guard, and reserve service members have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.