Tensions escalated tensions between Donald Trump’s administration and judiciary as US defence secretary Pete Hegseth mocked a federal judge who blocked the government’s ban on transgender troops in the military.
US district judge Ana Reyes ruled that Trump’s 27 January executive order, one of several targeting legal rights for transgender Americans, likely violated the US Constitution’s equal protection clause. The ruling sparked outrage within the administration, with Hegseth taking to social media to ridicule Reyes, sarcastically referring to her as “Commander Reyes” and accusing her of overstepping her authority.
“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,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Reyes, appointed by former Democratic president Joe Biden, is one of several judges facing hostility from Trump and his allies. The president, along with adviser Elon Musk, attorney general Pam Bondi, and other officials, has repeatedly attacked judges ruling against his policies, The Guardian reported.
Just last week, Trump called for the impeachment of a judge overseeing a legal challenge to his deportation flights, branding him a “Radical Left Lunatic” and a “troublemaker and agitator,” comments that prompted a rare rebuke from the US Supreme Court’s chief justice.
Since returning to office in January, Trump’s administration has faced more than 100 lawsuits challenging its policies. Some judges have issued nationwide injunctions blocking key initiatives, including Trump’s efforts to limit automatic birthright citizenship.
Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News host, has prioritised so-called “culture war” issues in the military, including banning transgender troops and scrapping diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes.
The administration defended its ban on transgender service members, arguing that the military has the right to exclude individuals with conditions deemed unsuitable for service, such as bipolar disorder and eating disorders. Lawyers representing the government urged judge Reyes to defer to their judgment, insisting transgender individuals are not fit for military duty.
