Don’t Ask’ Challenge Rejected

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to the military’s "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy, which bars homosexuals from serving in the armed forces but allows service members to keep their private lives – including their sexuality – private. In the case, Cook v. Gates, 12 former service members who were discharged under "don’t ask, don’t tell" claimed that the policy violates their constitutional rights to due process and equal protection under the law. After a federal district court in Massachusetts rejected ruled against them in 2006, the group appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit and lost again two years later. In both opinions, the judges essentially supported the government’s contention that allowing gays to serve openly would undermine good order and discipline.