U.S.: California federal judge: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” unconstitutional
- In order to justify the encroachment on these rights, defendants faced the burden at trial of showing the don’t ask, don’t tell act was necessary to significantly further the government’s important interests in military readiness and unit cohesion. Defendants failed to meet that burden.
- Judge Virginia A. Phillips • In a decision by a California federal judge that does for “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” what Judge Vaughn Walker did for Prop 8 earlier this summer. The suit was brought by the gay conservative group the Log Cabin Republicans, who are thrilled about the decision. The Family Research Council, however, isn’t so thrilled. “It is hard to believe that a District Court-level judge in California knows more about what impacts military readiness than the service chiefs who are all on record saying the law on homosexuality in the military should not be changed,” said FRC president Tony Perkins. source