Ethics

Officer Wins Victory on Don't Ask Don't Tell

By Ed Brayton

The 9th circuit has ruled in favor of Air Force Major Margaret Witt in an appeal on her discharge under the DADT policy. Witt was discharged after a stellar career in which she was so highly decorated that the Air Force made her a "poster child" and used her image to promote recruiting. She never told anyone in the service that she was gay, but someone ratted her out and she was discharged - 6 months before being eligible for a full pension. See full ruling here.

Witt argued that the DADT policy violates the equal protection clause and substantive due process. The court notes that they have considered such cases before and ruled against them, but not since the ruling in Lawrence v Texas, which Witt argued has changed the precedents in her favor. She's clearly correct, as the Lawrence ruling states:

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on May 22, 2008 (boomark / email).