A federal appeals court Thursday rejected the Trump administration's efforts to postpone admitting transgender men and women into the military.
The three-judge panel simply said such recruits can join starting January 1 while the legal challenges proceed.
A federal judge ruled last week that the new policy can go forward.
The administration wanted a delay while it appealed earlier court rulings against the president's ban on transgender troops.
But Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the government failed to prove it would be harmed if transgender men and women started signing up beginning on New Year's Day.
Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter opened the door last year for transgender men and women to join the U.S. armed forces starting July 1.
But President Donald Trump tried to slam that door shut in an executive order, citing health costs and possible morale problems among non-transgenger members. He also ordered current transgender military members to be discharged.