Judge rejects Trump administration bid to dismiss transgender Air Force troops’ retirement lawsuit

The plaintiffs allege that after Trump’s 2025 executive order targeting transgender military service, the Air Force invited troops with 15 to 18 years of service to apply for early retirement under the Temporary Early Retirement Authority. Their requests were approved, and official retirement orders were issued with retirement dates in the fall of 2025. Weeks later, after new Pentagon leadership took over implementation of the policy, those orders were rescinded and replaced with offers of voluntary separation pay — worth far less than military retirement. Kaplan concluded that the service members had plausibly alleged they were entitled to retirement pay under federal law and that any dispute over how continued active duty service affects the amount they may recover is a question for the merits of the case, not a reason to dismiss it.