Hegseth mocks judge for halting transgender ban

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the weekend joined other Trump administration officials in virtual attacks on federal judges, lashing out at a judge who indefinitely blocked a ban on transgender troops in the U.S. military.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington — appointed by former President Biden — last week ruled that President Trump's Jan. 27 executive order effectively barring transgender people from serving openly in the military likely violated the U.S. Constitution, calling it “unabashedly demeaning.”

At the time, Hegseth took to social platform X to announce: “We are appealing this decision, and we will win.”

But on Saturday, Hegseth went a step further and mockingly called the judge "Commander Reyes,” questioned her title, appeared to make a jab at personal pronouns, and suggested the ruling overstepped her powers.

“Since ‘Judge’ Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers on how to execute High Value Target Raids…after that, Commander Reyes can dispatch to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets on counterinsurgency warfare,” Hegseth wrote on X.

Trump has called for a stop to nationwide injunctions and suggested the Supreme Court should intervene as his administration has faced multiple setbacks from federal judges who have issued rulings impeding on some of his actions.

“Unlawful Nationwide Injunctions by Radical Left Judges could very well lead to the destruction of our Country!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday. “These people are Lunatics, who do not care, even a little bit, about the repercussions from their very dangerous and incorrect Decisions and Rulings.”

More than 100 lawsuits in federal courts are hearing challenges to a range of initiatives by Trump and his administration, leading the commander in chief and his Cabinet members to lash out at judges in the past several weeks.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has taken it upon himself to get involved in culture war issues, asserting that transgender troops or diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have no place in the U.S. military.

The Pentagon in February announced it would no longer allow transgender people to join the military, would stop performing or facilitating medical procedures for them and would begin kicking out those already serving.

But six active service members and two individuals seeking to enlist in the military sued the administration, asserting the executive order violates their constitutional rights. Two similar lawsuits are moving through the courts.

Trump’s order suggests that transgender people cannot “satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service” because they threaten the lethality of the armed forces and undermine unit cohesion.

Reyes wrote in her opinion that while the president has both the power and obligation to ensure military readiness, leaders of the armed forces have long used that justification to “deny marginalized persons the privilege of serving.”

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