Trans troops ask judge to protect everyone targeted by Pete Hegseth's military ban

The legal battle over President Donald Trump's transgender military ban is entering a new phase that could determine whether the challenge proceeds on behalf of a handful of plaintiffs or thousands of transgender service members nationwide.Attorneys representing transgender troops asked a federal judge on Friday to certify a nationwide class in Talbott v. United States, a challenge to the administration's policy. The move would allow the lawsuit to proceed on behalf of all transgender people currently serving in the military and those seeking to enlist.The Trump administration has recently resumed efforts to remove transgender people from military service, while courts continue grappling with how broad judicial relief can be after the Supreme Court sharply limited the use of nationwide injunctions last year.For the plaintiffs, class certification offers a path toward protecting far more than the individuals whose names appear on the lawsuit. "This case is exceptionally well-suited for class certification," attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote in a filing Friday.Related: Judge hints at federal class action, orders DOJ evidence in trans military ban caseThe lawsuit challenges Executive Order 14183 and the implementing policy issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which the administration says addresses military readiness and medical standards. Plaintiffs argue the policy is a categorical ban on transgender military service disguised as a medical regulation.Judge Ana Reyes appeared sympathetic to that view when she issued a preliminary injunction earlier in the case, writing that the policy effectively bans transgender people from serving. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit later narrowed portions of that relief but recently allowed parts of Reyes's ruling to stand.Now, the question before the court is whether the case should proceed as a challenge brought by a handful of named plaintiffs or as one brought on behalf of an entire class of people affected by