Federal judge blocks Trump transgender military ban

A federal judge has blocked President Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from military service. The U.S. District judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that the executive order to exclude transgender troops likely violates their constitutional rights. She delayed her order until Friday morning to give the administration time to appeal. Plaintiffs’ attorneys contend the order violates transgender people’s rights to equal protection under the Fifth Amendment, while government lawyers argue that military officials have broad discretion to decide how to assign and deploy servicemembers.