WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court in Virginia has rejected a request by the administration of President Donald Trump to suspend a court order against her decision to ban transgender children from January 1.
The administration appealed to the federal court in Richmond, Virginia, to suspend a federal judge's decision in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 21 to allow transsexuals to be admitted despite the administration's decision.
The judge considered that the decision to prevent them from joining the army "violates the constitutional right of plaintiffs to equal protection under the law."
A three-judge panel in the Richmond court said it had turned down the administration's request.
A number of transgender soldiers filed a lawsuit in Baltimore court after President Donald Trump's July decision.
Two similar decisions against the administration were made by two other federal judges in Washington DC on 30 October and Seattle, Washington, on 11 December.
After the Seattle judge's decision, the Pentagon decided to allow transgender people to join the ranks of the armed forces as early as next year. The decision, while still under review by the ministry, is expected to continue next year.
A Pentagon spokesman told the Associated Press that the latest decision does not prevent the Pentagon from excluding potential candidates because of their medical records, which may involve undergoing treatment during sex conversion or sexual identity disorder.
"After consultation with generals and military experts, please know that the US government will not allow transgender individuals to serve in any way in US forces," President Trump wrote on Twitter in July.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Danford, said in a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in September that he believed that anyone who meets the required physical and psychological standards and is currently serving in the armed forces "should be given the opportunity to continue to serve "Adding that he would advise not to lay off members of the armed forces on the basis of their nationality only.