in

Biden-Appointed Federal Judge Freaks Out on Trump DOJ Attorney Over Transgender Pronouns in Military

biden-appointed-federal-judge-freaks-out-on-trump-doj-attorney-over-transgender-pronouns-in-military
Biden-Appointed Federal Judge Freaks Out on Trump DOJ Attorney Over Transgender Pronouns in Military

Commentary

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

 By Samuel Short  February 19, 2025 at 9:00am

Activist federal judges are on a mission to stop President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, NBC News reported a spat between U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes and Justice Department attorney Jason C. Lynch over Trump’s executive order directing the military to stop using preferred pronouns.

From Reyes’ comments relayed by NBC, she seemed very upset that the Trump administration would try to purge transgender ideology from the military.

When Reyes asked Lynch how using preferred pronouns would impact military preparedness during Tuesday’s hearing, he was only able to get out, “I don’t …”

She then proceeded to cut off any answer he could give, saying, “Because it doesn’t.”

“Because any common sense, rational human being understands that it doesn’t,” Reyes added.

Reyes appeared to go on a rant, saying it was, “ridiculous” to believe military personnel are affected by using fellow servicemembers’ preferred pronouns.

In January, several transgender servicemembers sued to block Trump’s order, which also banned trans people from joining the military.

Reyes referred to Trump’s order as “arguably rampant with animus.”

Do you support Trump’s preferred pronouns executive order?

Those plaintiffs suing to block the order made similar claims, saying, “Rather than being based on any legitimate governmental purpose, the ban reflects animosity toward transgender people because of their transgender status.”

From the comments reported by NBC, Reyes doesn’t appear to cite any actual law the Trump administration is in violation of with this order. Instead, she chooses more abstract and subjective notions, like “common sense” and being “rational.”

To be sure, common sense and rationality should be front and center in judges’ minds but should guide those judges in interpreting the law as it is written.

Those principles are not to be appropriated for personal ends as Reyes is doing here.

This is judicial activism in essence: putting the law on the periphery, so one’s own agenda can guide decisions.

To entertain Reyes’ arguments and provide a response — yes, preferred pronouns are to the detriment of military preparedness.

Language policing servicemembers and badgering them with others self-delusion can only sow dissent.

There is also something ridiculous about an American-born president finding opposition in a foreign-born activist judge. (Reyes is from Uruguay.)

Reyes plans to withhold ruling on Trump’s order until the Pentagon releases its plan for how its policies will comply with Trump’s order, but her comments Tuesday show her hand.

The law is not going to impede ideology.

Sam Short is an Instructor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London.

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

bringing-the-receipts:-watch-trump-silence-reporters-with-list-of-insane-government-waste-even-they-don’t-try-to-defend

Bringing the Receipts: Watch Trump Silence Reporters with List of Insane Government Waste Even They Don’t Try to Defend

zelenskyy-takes-a-vicious-shot-at-trump,-claims-he-‘lives-in-a-disinformation-space’

Zelenskyy Takes a Vicious Shot at Trump, Claims He ‘Lives in a Disinformation Space’