The US Supreme Court has permitted President Donald Trump to implement his ban on transgender individuals serving in the military while legal challenges to the policy are ongoing.
A federal judge in Washington had previously issued an injunction against the ban after several service members filed a lawsuit.
In its urgent request to the Supreme Court, the Trump administration contended that the lower court should defer to military judgment.
The court's three liberal justices expressed their dissent regarding the stay, which was issued through an unsigned order on Tuesday.
Shortly after his inauguration, Trump signed two executive orders that facilitated the Pentagon's ability to prohibit transgender individuals from military service.
The second order stated that being transgender "conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honourable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle" and could hinder military readiness.
In February, the Department of Defense announced plans to discharge transgender personnel currently in service.
Seven service members, including Commander Emily Schilling, a Navy fighter pilot, filed a lawsuit to challenge the ban. Another transgender individual seeking to enlist joined their case.
They claimed that the policies "undermine military readiness, endanger our safety, and violate the United States Constitution."
In March, a federal judge in Washington state issued a nationwide injunction against the administration's ban, stating that the government did not demonstrate that it would improve "unit cohesion, good order or discipline."
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's ruling, maintaining the injunction.
With the Supreme Court's order, that injunction will be lifted while the servicemembers' lawsuit proceeds through the lower courts.
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