ISTANBUL

A federal judge temporarily halted the enforcement of President Donald Trump's executive order that banned transgender individuals from serving in the military, CNBC reported.

The decision Tuesday came as a lawsuit filed by 20 active-duty and potential service members challenged the policy.

US District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington determined that Trump’s directive, one of several issued by the Republican president aimed at limiting the legal rights of transgender Americans, likely violates the Constitution’s ban on sex discrimination.

“The cruel irony is that thousands of transgender service members have sacrificed — some risking their lives — to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the military ban seeks to deny them,” Reyes wrote in her ruling.

Reyes was appointed by President Joe Biden.

Jennifer Levi, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, commended the court for acting “decisively and swiftly.”

“This ruling pulls no punches. The court methodically documented the concrete harms this ban inflicts on brave transgender service members who ask nothing more than to serve their country with honor,” Levi stated.

In reaction to Trump's directive, the military announced Feb. 11 that it would halt the recruitment of transgender individuals and cease performing or supporting gender transition procedures for service members.

The military stated later last month that it would begin discharging transgender personnel.

Trump said that adopting a gender identity is “inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.”

Reyes noted that the government had admitted the plaintiffs were exceptional service members and clear evidence that “transgender persons can have the warrior ethos, physical and mental health, selflessness, honor, integrity, and discipline to ensure military excellence.”

Government lawyers argued that the military can exclude individuals with conditions like bipolar disorder and eating disorders, including transgender people.

At a March 12 hearing, they urged Reyes to respect the current administration’s stance on transgender service members.

The judge challenged them for evidence and voiced strong disapproval of the language in the executive order toward transgender individuals.

The military has about 1.3 million active-duty members, with estimates of transgender service members ranging from a few thousand to 15,000.​​​​​​​