Judge orders lesbian Air Force nurse reinstated

[spanone]

(CNN) -- A federal judge has ordered the reinstatement of an openly lesbian former Air Force major who was dismissed from the military under the government's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Judge Ronald Leighton of Tacoma, Washington, made his ruling Friday. It is the latest legal and political setback for the Obama administration, which is seeking to end the policy through a legislative and executive solution.

Maj. Margaret Witt, a decorated flight nurse with 20 years of service, had sued to return to the Air Force Reserve. She was honorably discharged in July 2007 on the grounds that she had a six-year relationship with another woman, a civilian.

"Her discharge from the Air Force Reserves violated her substantive due process rights under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. She should be restored to her position as a flight nurse with the 446th AES as soon as is practicable," wrote the judge.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/24/military.gay.reinstatement/index.html?hpt=C1

[csziggy]

1. She was on Rachel Maddow a little bit ago - nice sounding person

And it was a Bush appointed judge that made the ruling!

[stevedeshazer]

2. She deserves it big time.

The local newspapers covered this story well.

[ismnotwasm]

3. She was at a conference I was at a few years ago

Very nice person. She told me she was outed by someone, that she didn't volunteer any personal information. The basic human rights violation of DADT aside, this should never have happened in the first place. She was minding her own business. I suspect something on the order of a hate crime, although she said nothing to that effect. As long as DADT stands, at the VERY least, we should be able prosecute anyone who discloses personal information Gay military personal. In my dreams I guess.

[DeSwiss]

4. K&R

- I hope that this is the beginning of the end of this stupid, cowardly, and un-Constitutional bullshit!

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. At the pace we are going

it will be the courts... and I don't care who does it at this point.