Calling it a matter of "exceptional importance," the Trump administration has filed an urgent appeal with the Supreme Court seeking the immediate removal of 29 active-duty service members who are transgender even before their case challenging the Pentagon ban goes to trial in January.

Several courts have found that the ban was likely rooted in animus and violates servicemembers constitutional rights to due process and equal protection - a conclusion the government strongly disputes.

While the justices last year gave Trump the green light to move forward broadly with a ban on service members who have a history of gender dysphoria, federal judges in a separate case, U.S. v.