US President Donald Trump wants the US Supreme Court to immediately weigh in on his ban on transgender people in the mililtary, sparking concerns about procedure and alarming rights organisations seeking to ensure equality.
Lower courts have so far largely ruled against Trump, keeping his plan on ice, accepting arguments that the ban is based on discrimination and not on military effectiveness.
Solicitor General Noel Francisco is asking the top court to consolidate three cases in the lower courts and rule within its current term, according to documents filed on Friday.
Normally the top court does not weigh in on cases until they work their way through the lower ranks of the judiciary.
The move by the administration comes in the same week that Trump got into a war of words with the court's Chief Justice John Roberts. It is extremely rare for the head of the top court to rebuke a president.
Trump appears angered over rulings against him by lower courts and accused judges of endangering national security.
The president had announced his ban over Twitter in 2017 and later the administration formulated the policy more formally.
"It seems the Trump administration can't wait to discriminate," said Lambda Legal, a civil rights group that filed one of the original motions against the ban.
It was also sharply critical of the White House for seeking to leapfrog over normal procedures.
Trump has appointed two judges to the Supreme Court, shifting the balance on the top judicial body in a conservative direction that potentially could favour the White House's views.
