Pentagon lawyers advise waiting to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’: report News
Pentagon lawyers advise waiting to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’: report

[JURIST] The legal advisers for the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen [official profile], have advised him to delay an internal effort to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" [10 USC § 654 text; JURIST news archive] policy, according to a Thursday Associated Press report [text]. Mullen has reportedly received mixed input on whether lifting the ban is a good idea, with other Pentagon advisers suggesting that repealing the policy would not cause problems, but in-house legal counsel has advised him to wait until 2011. The delay would most likely make the policy a key issue in the 2012 presidential election.

US President Barack Obama recently pledged [JURIST report] to end the controversial policy, which subjects openly gay individuals to military discharge. After the US Supreme Court [official website] denied certiorari [JURIST report] to review the policy in June, the US Senate Armed Services Committee [official website] announced [JURIST report] that it would hold hearings to review it. Last year, more than 100 retired admirals and generals of the US military called for a repeal [JURIST report] of the policy.

THIS DAY @ LAW

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