TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey is suing President Trump again. This time, over an executive order to prevent mentally ill individuals from serving in the U.S. military.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transgender (biological men who identify as women and biological women who identify as men) individuals from serving in the U.S. military. Trump cited mental illness and force readiness concerns in his executive order, but New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Platkin want to keep transgenders in the military.
New Jersey has joined 19 other state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief challenging former President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender individuals from serving in the military.
The brief, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, supports a lawsuit by current and prospective transgender service members seeking to block the order. A hearing is scheduled for February 18.
“Trump’s ban on transgender service members isn’t just discriminatory, it violates our Constitution and makes our country and our state less safe,” Platkin said.
The coalition argues that the order violates the Fifth Amendment, weakens military readiness, harms state emergency preparedness, and discriminates against transgender individuals. Studies estimate that about 150,000 veterans and active-duty personnel identify as transgender, with transgender individuals being twice as likely to serve in the military as cisgender individuals.
The military previously reviewed and twice concluded that allowing transgender personnel to serve benefits national security. The brief asserts that reinstating the ban cannot be justified by concerns over cost, unit cohesion, or readiness.