A judge spent much of an hourslong hearing on Wednesday lecturing attorneys with the Department of Justice as she weighed whether to grant an injunction against President Donald Trump’s executive order on transgender service members.
Judge Ana Reyes peppered the attorneys with rhetorical questions, berated them for what she said was a gross lack of preparedness, and painstakingly reviewed studies with them about transgender people.
Reyes, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, made clear her skepticism with Trump’s order. But she occasionally also acknowledged the possibility that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth might have a final say over who is eligible to serve in the military. She said she knew that her rulings, regardless of whom they favored, would be appealed in a higher court.
“I have no doubt that I am not the last step on this strange journey,”…
