According to the Army Times, the Pentagon has suspended DADT in wake of a court ruling. An item on the website says that the Pentagon has ordered a halt to all separations of gay troops under Don't Ask, Don't Tell and will begin accepting applications from gays and lesbians. It says that the moratorium was issued Friday.
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court in California had ordered an immediate stop to enforcement of the law, finding it unconstitutional.
Preparations in the form of several tiers of training continue through the summer in preparation for the formal repeal, which will come 60 days after the defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs certify that military readiness will not be negatively impacted.
According to the Times, four people have been separated since the law was repealed.
SLDN Statement on Pentagon's DADT Moratorium
( Washington, DC ) Army Veteran and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network ( SLDN ) Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis released the following statement in response to the moratorium reported today by Army Times, indicating the Pentagon intends to halt all discharges under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ( DADT ) law following this week's ruling in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
"SLDN welcomes this temporary suspension of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' discharges in the wake of this week's court decision, but we urge the Pentagon to go further by suspending all investigations of service members that are currently ongoing, and confirm that the Department of Defense and Department of Justice are not preparing to appeal the court's ruling. It's imperative for service members, gay and straight, who have been living with ambiguity for far too long as this process has languished unnecessarily. The time for clarity and finality is long overdue."
##
STILL AT RISK: Despite the President signing the bill authorizing repeal of DADT, it is still unsafe for service members to come out until 60 days after certification by President Obama, Secretary Panetta, and Admiral Mullen. Click here to read our warning to service members.
SLDN FREE HOTLINE: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members with questions are urged to contact the SLDN hotline to speak with a staff attorney: 202-328-3244 x100.
ABOUT SLDN: Servicemembers Legal Defense Network ( SLDN ) was established in 1993 when "Don't Ask" originally passed. In addition to working on repeal, SLDN offers free, confidential legal services to those impacted by the discriminatory law. Last year the organization received its 10,000th call for assistance to its legal hotline.