Judge Blocks 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Citing its "direct and deleterious effects" on the armed services, a federal judge in Riverside, California, has declared the military's ban on openly gay service members unconstitutional. Judge Virginia A. Phillips issued her ruling in a case brought by the Log Cabin Republicans, a group of gay Republicans. "I am proud the court ruled that the arcane ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’ statute violates the Constitution,” said the group's executive director after the ruling. Though Phillips issued an injunction against the military policy, government lawyers will have a chance to appeal the decision.