SEATTLE, WA – Washington State’s Attorney General says the president’s ban on transgender military service members undermines state and national security.  Nick Brown and attorneys general in 19 other states made that argument in a brief filed in the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Friday. The brief was filed in support of a lawsuit from personnel seeking to overturn the order.

Brown co-authored the amicus brief that says the president’s order “not only violates the Constitution…but it will also weaken our nation’s military, including the National Guards operated by all Amici States.”

The brief was filed in Shilling v. Trump, which was brought by lead plaintiff and decorated U.S. Navy Commander Emily Shilling.

The attorneys general say the president’s action deprives states’ National Guard units of experienced and qualified soldiers at a time when recruitment is especially challenging. “Trump’s blatantly discriminatory policy is also fundamentally at odds with state laws protecting transgender individuals,” says a press release from Brown’s office.

The filing was co-authored by Brown’s office and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office. The other states joining are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.