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Shilling v. President Trump

No. 2:25-cv-00241 District · Active Active

Case Overview

7 current transgender service members, 1 prospective transgender servicemember and the Gender Justice League, represented by Lambda Legal Defense and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, sued President Trump and the Department of Defense over his executive order banning transgender service members from the military.


The Application

History

The plaintiffs—current and prospective transgender service members—challenge an outright ban that classifies based on gender identity rather than individual fitness or capability. The government will likely invoke military readiness and unit cohesion as justifications, while plaintiffs argue these interests are neither sufficiently important nor substantially served by a blanket prohibition without individualized assessment.

The Conclusion

The case remains active in the Western District of Washington with Judge Settle presiding. The outcome will turn on whether courts defer to military discretion or apply heightened constitutional scrutiny to a classification based on gender identity.

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
FiledFeb 6, 2025
Judge Benjamin H. Settle
CL Statusactive
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No circuit court data for this case.

No Supreme Court data for this case.

Federal Court TMR-3591ff07 <a href="https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/trump-executive-order-targets-transgender-service-members"> Transgender Service Members Ban </a> May 14, 2026
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