Transgender troops just won a major ruling in their fight against Trump’s military ban

A federal judge on Tuesday certified a class of transgender service members and prospective troops challenging the Trump administration’s ban on military service, expanding one of the country’s most consequential transgender rights cases beyond the individual plaintiffs and setting it on a path toward trial next year.U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes granted the motion in Talbott v. Trump after a tense hearing in Washington, D.C., according to an attorney on the case who spoke with The Advocate over text message. The court’s public audio feed did not return after Reyes recessed the hearing, leaving members of the public unable to hear the ruling in real time.The decision means the case can proceed on behalf of a broader group of transgender people affected by the administration’s policy, which bars many transgender people from serving in or joining the armed forces. The precise class definition was not immediately available Tuesday afternoon.Related: Lawyers ask judge to certify case to protect all trans troops affected by Trump military ban “This is an incredibly significant case for our country, for the military, and for the thousands of transgender individuals who have dedicated their lives to military service,” Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for LGBTQ+ Rights and lead co-counsel for the plaintiffs, told The Advocate after the hearing. “The Court’s decision today to certify a class is an important step and will help to ensure that any positive decision will benefit all transgender troops, not just the individual plaintiffs in this case. We look forward to an opportunity to prove our case.”Minter said that Reyes scheduled a trial for January 4.The ruling gives the plaintiffs a major procedural victory in a case that has become a defining test of how far the Trump administration can go in pushing transgender people out of public life. For the service members at the center of the case, it is the difference between continuing care