After a judge scrutinized Trump's ban on trans service members in the military, Laura Ingraham invoked the judge's status as openly LGBTQ

Ingraham: “Could the DOJ have argued for her recusal in this case given background or obvious anti-Trump bias? Probably.”

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

The AP reported on Judge Reyes' questioning attorneys from the Department of Justice on Trump's executive order, which has been lauded by some in right-wing media:

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday questioned President Donald Trump’s motives for issuing an executive order that calls for banning transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military, describing a portion of the directive as “frankly ridiculous.”

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“If you were in a foxhole, would you care about these individuals’ gender identity?” the judge asked a government attorney, who answered that it “would not be a primary concern of mine.”

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Reyes said the order’s language smears thousands of transgender troops as dishonest, dishonorable and undisciplined.

She asked Justice Department attorney Jason Lynch: “How is that anything other than showing animus?”

“I don’t have an answer for you,” Lynch responded.

“No, you have an answer. You just don’t want to give it,” the judge shot back.

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Thousands of transgender people serve in the military, but they represent less than 1 percent of all active-duty service members.

The plaintiffs include an Army Reserves platoon leader, an Army major who was awarded a Bronze Star for service in Afghanistan and a Sailor of the Year award winner serving in the Navy.

From the February 18, 2025, edition of Fox News' The Ingraham Angle

LAURA INGRAHAM (HOST): Now, every profile of Ms. Reyes points out that she is the first Hispanic woman and openly LGBTQ person to serve as a district court judge in Washington, D.C. Now, could the DOJ have argued for her recusal in this case given background or obvious anti-Trump bias? Probably. 

But it doesn't really matter much because, in the end, the Supreme Court is going to have to determine whether being gender dysphoric is a protected status for the purposes of U.S. military service.