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It wasn’t as bad as it looked. It was worse.

FILE: AP Photo/Matt Slocum

We’re coming up on 100 days since Joe Biden left office and given the stark contrast between the Biden and Trump administrations, we are coming to understand just how cosmically awful Joe Biden’s time in office really was.

It was a disaster from its first day to its last.

Even granting enormous quantities of grace, one cannot find a single Biden administration policy that made Americans safer or more prosperous. Not one. On Biden’s watch the world became more dangerous and the American middle class slipped back into the decline from which it had briefly emerged in Trump’s first term. (And please, spare me the stock market. Half of the market gain on Biden’s watch was swallowed by inflation. The rest was largely driven by the share prices of Alphabet, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla – the so called “Magnificent Seven.” The rest of the market barely budged.)

We don’t have time for an exhaustive analysis of the things that Biden got wrong. That exercise could legitimately be made into a semester-long three-hour college credit course. (Not holding my breath.)

Let’s just bear down on the two Biden administration policy failures that will have the longest lasting negative consequences.

The first – surprise, surprise – is Biden’s catastrophic border policy. We’ll never know exactly how many illegal migrants Joe Biden allowed to invade our country. Estimates range from eight to 15 million. Whatever that unknowable number, it’s horrific. No nation has ever allowed chaotic mass migration on anything close to such a scale. As a result, there is no template for what happens next.

We already know that the resulting pressure on social services, schools, hospitals and police departments has been overwhelming. There’s no practical way to get these migrants out of the country and there is no effort whatsoever to assimilate them into American culture. Their presence is a large-scale balkanizing force, the staggering social costs of which will be borne by generations yet to come.

The second cosmic disaster is Biden’s reckless spending. When taken together, his “American Rescue Plan,” the “Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act” and the ironically named, “Inflation Reduction Act” total up to $6 trillion in spending that an already deeply indebted nation can ill afford. None of these spending boondoggles accomplished any of their stated goals. They only added to an already unsustainable debt.

There are two lessons to be learned from Biden’s terrible presidency.

Lesson one is keep Democrats out of office. Today’s Democrats — as embodied in Joe Biden — will blindly promote increasing the scope of government no matter how often or to what degree government makes things demonstrably worse.

Lesson two is that today’s Democrats aren’t about effective governance anyway. Nor are they about the poor or the middle class or “hard working Americans” or any other group to which they endlessly pander.

Democrats are about Democrats. They’re about power (and the concomitant money).

Which leads to a third lesson. As bad as Biden was, given what the party has become, the next Democrat to win the White House won’t be appreciably better.

Judge blocks Trump administration from requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote

(WASHINGTON) -- Donald Trump’s unilateral effort to reshape election processes is an attempt to “short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order,” a federal judge in Washington, D.C. wrote Thursday afternoon.

In a 120-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly blocked the Trump administration from requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and ordering that election officials “assess” the citizenship of anyone who receives public assistance before allowing them to register. She also barred the Election Assistance Commission from withholding federal funding from states that did not comply with the order.

“Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States—not the President—with the authority to regulate federal elections,” she wrote. “No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order.”

After Trump issued an executive order last month “preserving and protecting the integrity of American elections,” three separate lawsuits were filed in the D.C. federal court to challenge the policy, including lawsuits filed by the Democratic National Committee (with New York Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries), the League of United Latin American Citizens and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

“These consolidated cases are about the separation of powers,” Judge Kollar-Kotelly wrote.

She concluded that Trump’s unilateral effort to reshape elections exceeds his own authority, noting that the Department of Justice “offered almost no defense of the President’s order.”

If Trump wishes to reform election processes, she wrote, Congress would be the appropriate branch to do so, adding Congress is “currently debating legislation that would effect many of the changes the President purports to order.”

Walton Goggins, Scarlett Johansson to host final ‘Saturday Night Live’ season 50 shows

Saturday Night Live has set its final hosts for its landmark 50th season.

Walton Goggins and Scarlett Johansson will host the sketch comedy series for the last two shows of the season. Goggins is set to host the May 10 show with musical guest Arcade Fire while Johansson will host the May 17 finale episode with musical guest Bad Bunny.

As previously announced, Quinta Brunson will host the May 3 episode alongside musical guest Benson Boone.

Goggins makes his SNL debut as he hosts for the first time. This hosting gig comes after he's finished a major role on season 3 of The White Lotus. Arcade Fire will give its sixth performance on the Studio 8H stage the same evening to promote the band's upcoming album, Pink Elephant.

Johansson will mark her seventh time hosting SNL with her gig as host of the season finale. She is married to the show's Weekend Update host, Colin Jost. Bad Bunny will mark his third performance on the program. He first appeared as a musical guest in 2021 and then pulled double duty as host and musical guest in October 2023.

Rwandan genocide leader living in exclusive New York enclave arrested for alleged immigration violations

(NEW YORK) -- An alleged leader of violence during the Rwandan genocide in 1994 has been living in an exclusive enclave on Long Island, where he was arrested Thursday and accused of concealing his role in horrific violence and human rights violations by making false statements in his applications for a visa, green card and for U.S. citizenship, according to the Justice Department.

Faustin Nsabumukunzi is charged with visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud for allegedly lying on his application for a green card and for U.S. citizenship.

Nsabumukunzi was arrested at his home in Bridgehampton and was scheduled to appear later Thursday in Central Islip federal court.

“As alleged, Nsabumukunzi repeatedly lied to conceal his involvement in the horrific Rwandan genocide while seeking to become a lawful permanent resident and citizen of the United States,” said United States Attorney John Durham. “For over two decades, he got away with those lies and lived in the United States with an undeserved clean slate, a luxury that his victims will never have, but thanks to the tenacious efforts of our investigators and prosecutors, the defendant finally will be held accountable for his brutal actions.”

According to officials, Nsabumukunzi served as a local leader with the title of “Sector Councilor” in Rwanda in 1994 when the genocide began. Between April 1994 and July 1994, members of the majority Hutu population persecuted the minority Tutsis, committing acts of violence, including murder, rape and sexual violence. During the three-month genocide, an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus died.

According to the indictment, Nsabumukunzi used his leadership position as Sector Councilor to oversee the violence and killings of Tutsis in his local sector of Kibirizi and directed groups of armed Hutus to kill Tutsis. He set up roadblocks during the genocide to detain and kill Tutsis and participated in killings and violence, according to court documents.

Nsabumukunzi allegedly ordered a group of armed Hutus to locations where Tutsis were sheltering, and the Hutus killed them. Nsabumukunzi also allegedly facilitated the rape of Tutsi women by verbally encouraging Hutu men to do so. According to court filings, Nsabumukunzi has been convicted of genocide in absentia by a Rwandan court.

The suspect applied for refugee resettlement in the United States in August 2003 and then applied for and received a green card in November 2007. He later applied for naturalization in 2009 and 2015. Nsabumukunzi allegedly lied to United States immigration officials to gain admission to the United States as a refugee, by falsely denying in the applications under penalty of perjury that he ever engaged in genocide, federal prosecutors said.

He allegedly repeated those lies in his subsequent applications for a green card and for naturalization. Nsabumukunzi has lived and worked in the United States since 2003.

If convicted, Nsabumukunzi faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

2 federal judges block Trump’s effort to ban DEI from K-12 education

(WASHINGTON) -- A second federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from withholding federal funds from schools that participate in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Hours after a New Hampshire judge issued a similar order on Thursday, a federal judge in Maryland appointed by Trump issued a broader ruling that prohibits the Department of Education from using federal funding to end DEI initiatives within public schools.

"This Court takes no view as to whether the policies at issue here are good or bad, prudent or foolish, fair or unfair," wrote U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher of Maryland. "But this Court is constitutionally required to closely scrutinize whether the government went about creating and implementing them in the manner the law requires. The government did not."

Judge Gallagher wrote that the group that brought the lawsuit -- the American Federation of Teachers, American Sociological Association and a public school in Oregon -- successfully proved they would be irreparably harmed and the Education Department letter at issue likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act.

"This Court ends where it began—this case is about procedure," she wrote. "Plaintiffs have shown that the government likely did not follow the procedures it should have, and those procedural failures have tangibly and concretely harmed the Plaintiffs. This case, especially, underscores why following the proper procedures, even when it is burdensome, is so important."

Earlier, a judge in New Hampshire said the Trump administration's attempt to make federal funding to schools conditional on them eliminating any DEI policies erodes the "foundational principles" that separates the United States from totalitarian regimes.

In an 82-page order, U.S. District Judge Landya McCafferty partially blocked the Department of Education from enforcing the memo issued earlier this year that directed any institution that receives federal funding to end discrimination on the basis of race or face funding cuts.

"Ours is a nation deeply committed to safeguarding academic freedom, which is of transcendent value to all of us and not merely to the teachers concerned," Judge McCafferty wrote, adding the "right to speak freely and to promote diversity of ideas and programs is…one of the chief distinctions that sets us apart from totalitarian regimes."

"In this case, the court reviews action by the executive branch that threatens to erode these foundational principles," she wrote.

Judge McCafferty stopped short of issuing a nationwide injunction, instead limiting the relief to any entity that employs or contacts with the groups that filed a lawsuit challenging the DOE's memo.

Education groups sued the Department of Education in February after the agency warned all educational institutions in a letter to end discrimination based on race or face federal funding consequences.

The lawsuit criticized what it said was an unlawful "Dear Colleague" letter which will "irreparably harm" schools, students, educators, and communities across the country.

"This vague and clearly unconstitutional memo is a grave attack on students, our profession and knowledge itself," American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said in a statement at the time.

In justifying her preliminary injunction Thursday, Judge McCafferty called out the DOE for taking a position on DEI that flatly contradicts its own policies from a few years ago.

"Prior to the 2025 Letter, the Department had not indicated a belief that programs designed to promote diversity, equity, or inclusion constituted unlawful discrimination. Nor had it taken the position that schools necessarily behave unlawfully when they act with the goal of increasing racial diversity. In fact, the Department had taken the opposite position," the judge wrote.

In addition to finding the policy is likely unconstitutional and illegal, Judge McCafferty also criticized the Department of Education for making funding conditional on DEI programming, though the judge said the memo "does not even define what a DEI program is," pointing to "vague and expansive prohibitions" in the DOE's letter from February.

The Department of Education has not yet commented on the rulings.

‘Emily in Paris’ star Camille Razat on leaving the show: ‘Thank you for the beautiful ride’

Au revoir, Camille.

Emily in Paris star Camille Razat has broken her silence on her decision to leave the Netflix series after being a part of the main cast for four seasons. The actress confirmed the news of her departure in a lengthy post shared to Instagram.

"After an incredible journey, I’ve made the decision to step away from Emily in Paris," Razat wrote. "It has been a truly wonderful experience, one filled with growth, creativity, and unforgettable memories."

Razat, who played Camille, Emily's friend and rival for her beau Gabriel's heart, thanked the show's creator Darren Star, Netflix and Paramount Pictures "for their trust and for giving me the opportunity to bring Camille to life."

The actress isn't saying no to making future appearances on the show, it seems, as she thanked Star and the team for "leaving the door open for her return, as she will always be a part of Emily In Paris world."

She also offered some explanation as to why she decided to leave the series.

"This character has meant a lot to me, and I feel that her storyline has naturally come to an end," Razat said. "It felt like the right moment to explore new horizons."

Razat ended her message by saying she has nothing but love for everyone involved with Emily in Paris.

"I leave the show with nothing but love and admiration for the cast, crew, and fans who have supported us along the way," Razat said. "Thank you for the beautiful ride."

Production on season 5 of Emily in Paris begins in May. They will film in Rome first before moving to Paris. The season is set to debut on Netflix later in 2025.

‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ season 3 teaser trailer debuts with two Taylor Swift songs

Belly is torn between love being burnin' red and golden in the official teaser trailer for season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Two Taylor Swift songs play throughout the new teaser for the upcoming season, which starts streaming the first of its 11 episodes July 16 on Prime Video.

The beginning of the teaser trailer finds Lola Tung's Belly Conklin happily in love with her boyfriend, Jeremiah Fisher, played by Gavin Casalegno. The song "Daylight" from Swift's album Lover plays over a montage of their relationship, which features cute couple activities like a movie night out by the pool at the Cousins Beach house and feeding each other while sharing lunch in the dining hall at college.

As the "Daylight" lyric "I once believed love would be burnin' red, but it's golden," plays, the trailer shifts. Suddenly, Belly stands by a door as her former boyfriend and Jeremiah's brother, Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney), walks in. It's noticeably winter. He holds a candy cane in his mouth as Swift's song "Red" from the corresponding album begins. Only one lyric from the song plays: "Loving him was red" Swift sings over the intense moment.

The third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty begins with a time jump. "It’s the end of her junior year of college, and Belly’s looking forward to another summer in Cousins with her soulmate, Jeremiah," according to the official synopsis. "Her future seems set, until some core-shaking events bring her first love Conrad back into her life. Now on the brink of adulthood, Belly finds herself at a crossroads and must decide which brother has her heart. Summer will never be the same."

The Summer I Turned Pretty is based on the bestselling book series by Jenny Han, who also serves as showrunner and an executive producer.

Trump US attorney nominee distances himself from antisemitic Jan. 6 rioter he once praised

(WASHINGTON) -- Ed Martin, President Donald Trump's nominee for the next U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., apologized in a new interview for his past praise of a Jan. 6 rioter who had a lengthy history of antisemitic statements and infamously posted photos of himself dressed as Adolf Hitler.

"I'm sorry," Ed Martin said in an interview with the Jewish publication Forward. "I denounce everything about what that guy said, everything about the way he talked, and all as I’ve now seen it ... At the time, I didn’t know it.”

Martin's comments come as his nomination faces headwinds in the Senate over his public praise for Jan. 6 rioter Timothy Hale-Cussanelli at a 2024 event at Trump's Bedminster club in 2024.

At the event, one of several fundraisers held at Trump's private clubs to benefit Jan. 6 rioters, Martin described Hale-Cussanelli as an "extraordinary man" and "extraordinary leader."

It's unclear how Martin, vying to be the top prosecutor in one of the nation's most important U.S. attorney's offices, could claim to be unaware of Hale-Cussanelli's past anti-Semitic statements and praise for Hitler -- much less as late as 2024.

A Google search of Hale-Cussanelli's name turns up the series of now-infamous selfies that surfaced following his arrest that show him donning a Hitler mustache and holding his hand over his chest.

Hale-Cusanelli's antisemitic views made him one of the more prominently covered Jan. 6 defendants. At his sentencing hearing, the Trump-appointed judge overseeing his case, Trevor McFadden, said, "Statements and actions like yours make [Jewish people] less safe and less confident they can participate as equal members of our society.''

Prosecutors further surfaced antisemitic statements he made to his coworkers at a naval weapons station that “Hitler should have finished the job” and “babies born with any deformities or disabilities should be shot in the forehead.”

Martin was also previously asked about Hale-Cussanelli's antisemitic views in a recently posted interview with the Washington Informer, and didn't denounce him directly.

"When someone says, 'Hey, do you understand that of the January 6 defendants, there were some really rotten actors, and there were people that said terrible things in their lives, or even did terrible things?' then, fair enough," Martin said in that interview. "But I feel pretty good about the fact that we try to make ourselves better every day, and we try to get people give people a break, going forward, and I've got a pretty long career of fighting, I think for the right causes."

DOJ accidentally files document outlining flaws with Trump administration’s plan to kill NYC congestion pricing

Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- Lawyers with the Department of Justice accidentally filed a document overnight that outlined a series of legal flaws with the Trump administration's plan to kill New York City's congestion pricing tolls.

In an 11-page letter to the Department of Transportation, lawyers with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York wrote that Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy's attempt to terminate congestion pricing faces "considerable litigation risk" and is "unlikely" to be accepted by the court.

"As discussed below, there is considerable litigation risk in defending the Secretary's February 19, 2025 decision against plaintiffs' claims under the Administrative Procedure Act, that the decision was contrary to law, pretextual, procedurally arbitrary and capricious, and violated due process," the letter said.

According to DOJ lawyers, both of Duffy's arguments for canceling the program -- that the tolls raise revenue rather than prevent congestion and that the program does not offer a toll-free option -- are unlikely to convince the court.

DOJ lawyers instead proposed an alternative justification to defend canceling the program, urging the Department of Justice to use regulations set by the Office of Management and Budget to say the program was canceled "as a matter of changed agency priorities."

"Importantly, DOT can seek termination of the agreement pursuant to the OMB regulations in addition to, and not in place of, defending the rationale laid out in the Secretary's letter," the letter said.

In a letter to the judge overseeing the lawsuit challenging congestion pricing, DOJ lawyers on Thursday morning acknowledged the document was "plainly filed in error" and asked to permanently seal the record. They argued the internal legal guidance included in the letter is privileged and should not be considered in the ongoing lawsuit.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said the filing was an "honest error."

"Unfortunately, an attorney-client privileged document was erroneously filed on the public docket last night," the spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. "This was a completely honest error and was not intentional in any way. Upon realizing the error, we immediately took steps to have the document removed. We look forward to continuing to vigorously advocate in the best interest of our clients, the DOT and FHWA, in this matter."

The Metropolitan Transit Authority's congestion pricing program, the first of its kind in the nation, went into effect in January. Weeks later, with Donald Trump now in office, the Federal Highway Administration terminated approval of the plan, with Duffy saying at the time that the "scope of this pilot project as approved exceeds the authority authorized by Congress."

In February, the Metropolitan Transit Authority sued over the Trump administration's attempt to rescind the agreement between the Federal Highway Administration and MTA that authorized the collection of the congestion toll. Lawyers for the MTA argued the termination was unlawful, contradicts the DOT's own publicly stated policies and seeks to end a program that benefits the public.

"The region's subways, buses, and commuter railroads -- vital lifelines for so many New Yorkers who live in the New York City metropolitan area and beyond -- are already benefiting from substantial investments that have been made as a result of the Program," they argued. "New Yorkers support the Program because it is working."

New York officials have said they will not turn off the tolls without a court order.

The congestion pricing plan charges passenger vehicles $9 to access Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours as part of an effort to ease congestion and raise funds for the city's public transit system. During peak hours, small trucks and charter buses are charged $14.40 and large trucks and tour buses pay $21.60.

Tyler ISD earns record 64 distinctions in TEA ratings

Tyler, TX – The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has officially released the 2022-2023 accountability ratings, marking the end of a prolonged freeze on public reporting of school district performance data. This long-awaited announcement confirms what Tyler ISD had already projected using publicly reported data from the last two school years. “Every few years, we see the same recalibration pattern,” Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford said. “As the agency in Austin has repeatedly inferred, “the C is the new B,” these ratings inferences have baked-in decreases aligned with a more rigorous assessment in the name of continuous improvement. The reality is that Tyler ISD has been and will continue to be competitive, regardless of how the system is adjusted. We’ve thrived through these cycles before, and we’ll continue to do so, advocating for our students and communities while maintaining the high standards East Texans expect from their schools.” While the district rating dropped 10 points from the 2021-2022 school year to the 2022-2023 school year, a trend seen statewide due to changes in the accountability system, Tyler ISD outperformed our comparison schools, garnering 64 distinctions, the highest the district has ever received. That’s a 31 percent increase from the distinctions received during the 2021-2022 school year. Continue reading Tyler ISD earns record 64 distinctions in TEA ratings

Four Texas school districts at risk for state takeover after 2023 ratings released

AUSTIN – At least four Texas school districts could be forced to shut down their chronically underperforming schools or submit to a takeover from the state, based on annual state ratings released Thursday morning.

The Texas Education Agency released its A-F grades for the 2022-23 school year, the first complete set in five years. Ratings had not been released due to court battles and pauses to the rating system during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Beaumont, Midland, Fort Worth and Wichita Falls school districts all have at least one school that failed state ratings for five or more years in a row, putting them at risk of bruising state penalties.

Of the 8,539 public schools evaluated in the state, 19.3% got an A. Another 33.6% got a B and 24.7% got a C. About one in five campuses failed to meet academic standards, with 14.8% earning a D and 7.6% earning an F.

Performance scores for schools and districts are determined based on three categories: how students perform on state tests and meet college and career readiness benchmarks; how students improve over time; and how well schools are educating their most disadvantaged students.

Overall grades declined for many campuses since the 2021-2022 school year. Half of the state’s campuses received A or B grades, a decline of about 20 percentage points from the previous school year. The state only released partial scores that year.

TEA Commissioner Mike Morath attributed that decline to a drop in academic growth as schools worked to recover from the pandemic.

Many school district leaders, meanwhile, have attributed the declines to stricter college and career readiness standards. For the first time, schools had to show that 88% of their graduating high school students were college or career-ready to get an A, up from the 60% benchmark in previous years. About 10,000 more students met the requirements to prove college and career readiness.

“We keep raising the bar so that Texas is a leader in preparing students for postsecondary success,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said at a press roundtable.

The release of the A-F ratings comes after legal battles over changes to how schools are scored. More than 120 school districts sought to block the release of the 2023 ratings because they said TEA had not given them adequate notice before rolling out stricter college and career readiness benchmarks.

Earlier this month, an appeals court cleared TEA to make the 2023 A-F grades public, ruling that Morath did not overstep his authority when he changed the scoring metrics.

Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.

Karen Read murder trial: Mother of victim speaks out for 1st time

Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

(BOSTON) -- As Karen Read stands trial for a second time in Massachusetts for the alleged murder of her police officer boyfriend, the victim's mother spoke about her son's death publicly for the first time on Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege that, following a night of drinking in Canton, Read struck her boyfriend -- Boston police officer John O'Keefe -- with her Lexus SUV outside of a get-together at another officer's home and left him to die in a blizzard in January 2022.

After a jury was unable to reach a verdict in the initial murder trial last year, she is being retried on charges including second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a collision causing death. She has pleaded not guilty and maintains her innocence.

O'Keefe's mother, Margaret "Peggy" O'Keefe, was not called to testify in Read's first trial.

While testifying for the Commonwealth on Wednesday, Peggy O'Keefe described her son as an "enthusiastic" fan of sports who was "wonderful" with his niece and nephew, for whom he provided primary guardianship following their parents' untimely deaths.

"He was their No. 1," she said, shakily, "They called him JJ."

She sobbed when special prosecutor Hank Brennan showed a photo of her son smiling.

When asked to recount the morning her son's body was discovered, Peggy O'Keefe recalled the moment she arrived at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton in search of her son. As she walked down the hallway towards the emergency room, she recalled seeing Read standing on the side of the corridor, screaming out to her, repeatedly asking if John O'Keefe was "dead."

After John O'Keefe was pronounced dead later that morning, his mother recalled leaving the hospital and gathering in his home with her husband and her grandchildren to mourn together.

She said Read showed up with members of her own family, and that she didn't recall talking to the defendant. She said they left after about 10 to 15 minutes, removing Read's Lexus SUV parked in the driveway from the premises.

The defense did not ask Peggy O'Keefe any questions.

"I am very, very sorry for your loss," defense attorney Alan Jackson told her.

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Trump asks Supreme Court to lift block on transgender military ban

(WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration has made a new emergency request of the U.S. Supreme Court seeking an immediate stay of a nationwide injunction blocking the ban on openly transgender military service members.

Solicitor General John Sauer said the injunction, issued by a district court in Washington, usurps the authority of the president in determining who can serve in the nation's armed forces and runs counter to the high court's own decision in the first Trump administration to allow the ban to move forward.

The Trump administration's policy on transgender soldiers would be a "de facto blanket prohibition" that seeks "to eradicate transgender service," 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Benjamin Settle, a George W. Bush nominee, wrote when issuing the preliminary injunction in the case, Trump v. Shilling, on March 27.

The case was filed by a group of seven transgender service members and one transgender person who wishes to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.

Settle became the second federal judge to block the policy, which he described as discriminatory and disconnected from the goals of "military readiness, unit cohesion, lethality, or any of the other touchstone phrases long used to exclude various groups from service." There is a separate nationwide injunction in place in a case out of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The ban was introduced as part of a Feb. 26 memo in a court filing for a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's rolling back of policies in an executive order on Jan. 27 that allowed transgender people to serve in the military.

"Military service by Service members and applicants for military service who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria is incompatible with military service," the Feb. 26 memo said. "Individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are no longer eligible for military service.

"The Department only recognizes two sexes: male and female," it added. "An individual's sex is immutable, unchanging during a person's life. All Service members will only serve in accordance with their sex."

While the Trump administration had argued that the judiciary should defer to military leadership and allow the ban, with DOJ lawyers writing in a filing to the D.C. Circuit last week that "plaintiffs offer no sound basis for concluding that the line the military has once again drawn falls outside constitutional bounds," Settle said at the time that he was unable to condone an "unsupported, dramatic and facially unfair exclusionary policy."

"The government falls well short of its burden to show that banning transgender service is substantially related to achieving unit cohesion, good order, or discipline. Although the Court gives deference to military decision making, it would be an abdication to ignore the government's flat failure to address plaintiffs' uncontroverted evidence that years of open transgender service promoted these objectives," he wrote.

The group of seven active-duty service members who brought the lawsuit argued that the policy "purposefully discriminates" soldiers based on their gender identity -- an argument that Department of Justice lawyers attempted to rebut by reframing the issue as medical, affecting only people who suffer gender dysphoria. Settle was unconvinced, writing that the policy "uses gender dysphoria as a proxy to ban all transgender service members."

"The government's arguments are not persuasive, and it is not an especially close question on this record," he wrote, finding each of the plaintiffs would be irreparably harmed by the policy, which would curtail their service to the country.

Cmdr. Emily Shilling, one of the transgender soldiers who brought the case, is a naval aviator with 19 years of service and flew 60 combat missions before becoming a Navy test pilot.

"There is no claim and no evidence that she is now, or ever was, a detriment to her unit's cohesion, or to the military's lethality or readiness, or that she is mentally or physically unable to continue her service. There is no claim and no evidence that Shilling herself is dishonest or selfish, or that she lacks humility or integrity. Yet absent an injunction, she will be promptly discharged solely because she is transgender," Settle wrote.

Cmdr. Blake Dremann, who oversees hundreds of people who maintain Marine Corps aircraft and repair submarines, also was part of the suit, as well as another senior officer, three enlisted Army and Air Force service members and Matthew Medina, who wants to be a Marine "in order to serve his country and simultaneously escape generational poverty."

Of the about 2.1 million members in the U.S. military, 4,240 active-duty, National Guard and Reserve service members have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a defense official said in February.

ABC News' Luis Martinez contributed to this report.