Federal Court Challenges "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

Federal court rules against military gays policy

Federal appeals panel rules military must prove homosexuality harms the ranks, morale

GENE JOHNSON
AP News

May 22, 2008 06:52 EST


The military cannot automatically discharge people because they're gay, a federal appeals court ruled in the case of a decorated flight nurse who sued the Air Force over her dismissal.

The three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not strike down the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. But they reinstated Maj. Margaret Witt's lawsuit, saying the Air Force must prove that her dismissal furthered the military's goals of troop readiness and unit cohesion.

The "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass" policy prohibits the military from asking about the sexual orientation of service members but requires discharge of those who acknowledge being gay or engaging in homosexual activity.

Wednesday's ruling led opponents of the policy to declare its days numbered. It is also the first appeals court ruling in the country that evaluated the policy through the lens of a 2003 Supreme Court decision that struck down a Texas ban on sodomy as an unconstitutional intrusion on privacy.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/05/federal_court_rules_against_mi.php

During my time as a "middle manager" in the Navy I had to deal with drunks, spouse abusers, hot check writers, drug users, whiners, poor performers, prima donnas but the only trouble I had with the few homosexuals who worked for me was their fear of being exposed. Conservative values really wants to make me punch something.

:loveya:

Right here in SF -- I used to do legal filings there, back in the day. They consistently put forth some of the more progressive court rulings.