WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced in a press release on Monday it has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump over an executive order banning transgender individuals from serving in the US military.
"The American Civil Liberties Union and Covington & Burling LLP today filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the president’s directive banning transgender service members from continuing to serve in the military or receiving medically necessary health care," the release stated.
The litigation was brought on behalf of five current members of the US military who are transgender, the release said.
On Friday, Trump signed a memorandum ordering the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to stop the accession of transgender individuals to the US armed forces. Both departments must suspend the use of their resources to fund medical procedures for service members who want to reassign his or her sex, the order noted.
"Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN today filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Trump administration’s ban on military service by transgender individuals," Lambda Legal said in a statement.
The lawsuit, filed in Seattle federal court, along with the ACLU's legal challenge filed on Monday in Baltimore federal court. Either federal court could overturn Trump's executive order.
Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN filed their lawsuit on behalf of two individuals who seek to join the military, one current service member who seeks appointment as an officer and two other advocacy groups, the Human Rights Campaign and the Gender Justice League.
"This ban not only wrongfully prevents patriotic, talented Americans from serving, it also compromises the safety and security of our country," Lambda Legal senior attorney Peter Renn said in the statement.
Legal Director for OutsServe-SLDN Peter Perkowski said the law was on the side of advocacy groups that protect transgender services members and those who want to serve.
"The nation’s courts exist to protect the people whom tyrants would otherwise abuse. Trump can’t tweet his way out of this one," Perkowski said.
