Court Scuttles 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Ruling kills policy ahead of military repeal certification
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 7, 2011 3:45 AM CDT
Updated Jul 7, 2011 3:55 AM CDT
Court Scuttles 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
Gay activist Dan Choi stands outside the Times Square Armed Forces Recruiting Center after he reenlisted in the US. Army October 20, 2010 in New York City.    (Getty Images)

A federal appeals court has hammered what could be the final nail into the coffin of the Pentagon's ban on gays serving openly in the military. The court reinstated an earlier injunction blocking the military from enforcing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Congress has already voted to scrap the policy, but repeal was due to take effect only after the president and service chiefs certified that military readiness would not be harmed by the move.

The military will comply with the court order, said a Pentagon spokesman. The initial stages of repealing the policy are already going smoothly, and official certification is probably only a few weeks away, the spokesman added. The director of the Log Cabin Republicans, which launched its legal action against the policy seven years ago, says that while the Pentagon is making good progress on ending "Don't Ask," the court's decision "ensures there will be no walking back on the legislative side," the Los Angeles Times reports. (More Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal stories.)

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