Judge Reinstates Air Force Major Discharged Under DADT
A federal judge ruled today that an Air Force major discharged in 2003 under Don't Ask, Don't Tell should be reinstated.
Judge Ronald Leighton ruled that former Maj. Margaret Witt was discharged unconstitutionally under the policy because the government hadn't shown that her firing benefited the military.
Witt, a decorated reservist flight nurse, was suspended from the Air Force in 2004, after 17 years of service, and eventually discharged in October 2007.
In April 2006, during the discharge process, she sued to be reinstated, according to news reports. Leighton then dismissed her case, saying her rights had not been violated.
She appealed. In 2008, the Ninth District Court of Appeals ruled that the military can only fire a servicemember under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, if firing them will further the military's interests. The court sent the suit back to Leighton.
Today, Leighton ruled that Witt's firing was unconstitutional.
...
Good!