Court Strikes Down Challenge to Don't Ask, Don't Tell

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Supreme Court struck down a constitutional challenge to the Clinton Administration's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military. Justices without comment upheld a lower court ruling against former Navy Lieutenant Paul Thomasson, who argued that his rights to free speech were violated when he was dischaged after informing his commander that he was gay. The decision was the first test of the controversial "Don't ask, don't tell" policy that was a compromise between Congressional members and President Clinton over his plan to lift the ban on gays in the military. Thomasson, who worked for the admiral administering the policy, challenged it when he sent his boss a letter telling him "I'm gay." His ensuing discharge sparked a lawsuit claiming the policy "discriminates on the basis of an illegitimate consideration: sexual orientation." In defense, the government claims that "unit cohesion" is harmed when active homosexuals are present in the ranks, and says its policy does not embody irrational prejudice against gays, merely tries to avert "risk to military effectiveness." But the court's decision is not the last word. Although the court rejected his plea in upholding the lower court ruling, it reserved the right to review the decision later. -->