(CNN) — The Supreme Court is allowing President Trump’s Transgender Military ban to go into effect.

The Justices did not rule on the merits of the case but will allow the ban to go forward while the lower courts work through it. LGBT activists call the ban cruel and irrational. The policy blocks individuals who have been diagnosed with a condition known as gender dysphoria from serving with limited exceptions. It was first announced by President Trump in July 2017 via twitter.  

According to government data — nearly 9 thousand service members identified as transgender in 2016.