‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Back in Effect

Posted on Oct 20, 2010

Flickr / The U.S. Army (CC-BY)

On Wednesday, the Obama administration succeeded in its mission of reinstating the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding gays and lesbians among its ranks. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported that afternoon, the 9th Circuit Court suspended U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips’ order to stop all DADT-related activities worldwide, giving the circuit court until at least Monday to look into the administration’s appeal. 

SFGate:

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco issued a brief order suspending the judge’s ruling until at least Monday. The three-judge panel said it would review the case further and decide whether to allow enforcement of the law during the entire appeal process, which could last many months.

The court acted hours after Obama administration lawyers filed an emergency motion seeking a stay of the Oct. 12 order by U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips of Riverside that halted all discharges under don’t ask, don’t tell, a law enacted in 1993.

Phillips’ order was an “extraordinary and unwarranted intrusion into military affairs,” the Justice Department told the court.

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