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Senate committee to hold hearings on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The US Senate Armed Services Committee announced Monday that it will hold hearings this fall to review the US military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Under the policy, openly gay servicemen and women are subject to discharge from the US military. Committee member Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) commented: This policy is wrong for our national security and wrong for the moral foundation upon which our country was founded. I thank Chairman Levin for agreeing to hold this important hearing. Numerous military leaders are telling us that the times have changed. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is an unfair, outdated measure that violates the civil rights of some of our bravest, most heroic men and women. By repealing this policy, we will increase America's strength - both militarily and morally.It is estimated that nearly 13,000 servicemen and women have been discharged since the policy's initiation in 1993. Gillibrand estimated that the US military has spent more than $95 million replacing these individuals.Last month, the US Supreme Court denied certiorari to review the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. In November 2008, more than 100 retired admirals and generals of the US military called for a repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. In June 2008, he US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The First Circuit's decision stands in stark contrast to a May 2008 ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which held that a soldier could not be dismissed on the basis of sexual orientation alone.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on July 28, 2009 (boomark / email).