Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday opted to stay out of an appeal to the Trump administration's new restrictions for transgender troops.
By not acting on the transgender case, the administration can start enforcing its restriction on transgenders in the military.
The Trump administration overturned an Obama-era rule, restricting military service members who identify with a gender other than the one they were born with. That battle will now continue in lower courts.
"As always, we treat transgender persons with respect and dignity," Air Force Lt. Col. Carla Gleason said. "The proposed policy is 'NOT a ban on service by transgender persons."
If the case had gone to the Supreme Court, it may have split down party lines with the five conservative justices having the majority.
While the restriction on transgenders is a victory for the Trump administration, the court's allowed continuation of DACA is a setback. The court's inaction on DACA allows Dreamers, children brought into the country illegally, to remain for another 10 to 12 months.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump proposed a deal with Democrats to extend temporary protections for 1 million Dreamers to stay in the country in exchange for $5.7 billion in funding for the wall at the southern border.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program initiated with the Obama administration.
Now, the issue won't likely come up until 2020. The average age of a Dreamer is 24.
Supreme Court justices also declined to hear an Indiana effort to revive a state law that restricts access to abortions. Signed into law by then-Gov. Mike Pence, the law prohibited abortions for fetuses that were part of certain races, genders or a medical diagnosis of Down syndrome or others.
