The entrance to the Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters at Constitution Hall is viewed on June 6, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (George Rose/Getty Images)
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A judge has issued a temporary restraining order stopping the leadership of The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) from disbanding a local Texas chapter that only allows biological women to join, according to a legal advocacy organization.
The Martha Laird chapter had fought to bar transgender women – biological men who identify as women – from joining its ranks. The national leadership of DAR voted in early October to disband this chapter, citing violations of its national bylaws.
The Heritage Foundation’s Legal Action Center, which represented the Texas chapter in suing the national organization, celebrated the court’s decision.
“The court’s order is an important victory for the Martha Laird Chapter and the women who stood up for the principle that a women’s organization should be for women,” Lea Patterson, senior litigation counsel with Heritage, wrote. “National DAR leadership tried to silence these women by disbanding their 84-year-old chapter. We are grateful the court has stepped in to protect the chapter while this fight continues.”
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In September 2024, the Martha Laird Chapter, along with the endorsement of 11 other chapters, submitted a proposed bylaw amendment to prohibit all men, including trans-identifying men, from DAR membership eligibility. (DAR Martha Laird Chapter)
She continued, “DAR headquarters tried to punish its members for speaking out, shut down legitimate debate, and strip a chapter of its assets without a fair process. These women followed DAR’s own procedures to advocate for change. They deserve to be heard, not punished for standing up for their convictions.”
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution confirmed to Fox News Digital that the organization had voted to disband the local Texas chapter but denied it was due to its views on membership and said it was acting in compliance with its national bylaws.
“The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) stands by the October 10, 2026, decision of its National Board of Management, which was made under the authority established in the National Bylaws,” the organization told Fox News Digital. “The decision was based on the Martha Laird Chapter’s use of the DAR name and its official chapter leadership, communications, and governance processes to promote the objectives of a separate advocacy organization. It was not based on the personal views or advocacy of individual members.”
“The court’s temporary restraining order does not determine the validity of the National Board’s decision. NSDAR is complying with the order and remains confident that the National Board acted within its authority under the National Bylaws and that its decision will withstand judicial review,” the statement read.
The Martha Laird chapter had fought to bar transgender women from joining its ranks. The national leadership of DAR voted in early October to disband this chapter, citing violations of its national bylaws. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The group did not respond to an additional request for comment about the separate advocacy organization claim.
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Political strategist and former senior Senate advisor Mary Marslender said the judge’s ruling was proper.
“It shouldn’t take a court order to state the obvious: the Daughters of the American Revolution should be for women, not men. Changing a label doesn’t change biological reality. My daughters shouldn’t have to grow up in a world where their sex is treated as a choice and their spaces as negotiable,” she told Fox News Digital. “Organizations created by and for women should not be pressured to ignore basic facts. The Texas chapter defended common sense, and I applaud the judge’s decision to halt this misguided effort to undermine a historic women’s group.”
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