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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has added his voice to the growing chorus of criticism against federal judges, specifically targeting a judge who recently blocked the administration’s transgender military ban. His comments come amid escalating tensions between the executive branch and judiciary.
In response to U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes’s ruling that Trump’s executive order likely violated constitutional equal protection rights, Hegseth took to X with a sarcastic attack. The Defense Secretary sarcastically dubbed her “Commander Reyes” and suggested she should personally train elite military units.
“Since ‘Judge’ Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers on how to execute High Value Target Raids,” Hegseth wrote. “After that, Commander Reyes can dispatch to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets on counterinsurgency warfare.”
REPORT FOR DUTY: Defense Sec. @PeteHegseth turns woke judge’s words into a power move after ruling on transgender people in the military, challenging her to either give orders to America's heroes or stay in her lane. https://t.co/P5U5lZM34c pic.twitter.com/uOHurPOwVI
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 23, 2025
The Biden-appointed judge’s decision represents another judicial roadblock for the administration, which has faced numerous legal challenges to its policies. The criticism follows a pattern of heated rhetoric from administration officials, including Trump himself, who recently called for another judge’s impeachment over deportation flight rulings.
Hegseth, who transitioned from Fox News host to Pentagon chief, has prioritized controversial military policy changes, including opposing transgender service and diversity initiatives. His tenure has been marked by significant leadership changes, including the removal of General C.Q. Brown and the Navy’s first female admiral.
Defense Secretary Hegseth just trolled activist “Judge” Reyes who’s trying to force women in the military to share showers and bathrooms with men.
Reyes wants to push her deranged gender ideology onto the entire US Military and pretend she’s a “military planner.”
Impeach Reyes! pic.twitter.com/R0O5MdChbV
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) March 22, 2025
While the administration maintains broad authority over military personnel decisions, its transgender policy has faced consistent legal challenges. The military announced in February that it would cease accepting transgender recruits and stop providing gender transition-related medical care, followed by plans to remove existing transgender service members.
The lawsuit challenging these policies cites a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that established discrimination against transgender individuals as illegal sex discrimination. The administration’s legal team has countered by comparing transgender status to other conditions that can disqualify individuals from military service, such as bipolar disorder and eating disorders, and urged Judge Reyes to respect the administration’s judgment on military fitness requirements.
