>
Article snippet: Former Army Secretary Eric Fanning on Thursday ripped the Trump administration's request to throw out a lawsuit against President Trump's transgender military ban, calling the move "harmful." "Any time you take a group and imply … that they are different or set apart for reasons unrelated to their ability to serve and meet the requirements, it's harmful for the force," Fanning, who served under former President The Washington Examiner. "It's harmful to the individuals, but it is harmful to the force as a whole," he continued. Fanning's comments come after the Justice Department submitted a brief on Wednesday asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit against Trump's transgender military ban. The response came in a suit filed by five transgender active duty troops as well as a Naval Academy student and ROTC student who both identify as transgender. "They will not suffer a hardship if the Court withholds consideration until after the policies challenged in this case are implemented and are found to impact Plaintiffs," DOJ attorneys wrote in the brief. "The Court lacks jurisdiction and should dismiss Plaintiffs’ claims." Four federal lawsuits were filed against the president after he officially announced his ban on transgender individuals serving in the armed forces. Trump signed a presidential memo last month ordering Defense Secretary MORE to stop accepting transgender people who want to enlist in the military, and to look into how to handle transgender peop... Link to the full article to read more