Judge Issues Injunction on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

DON'T ASK DON'T TELL -- October 12, 2010 at 4:34 PM EDT

Judge Issues Injunction on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

A federal judge in California has issued a worldwide injunction against the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, putting a hold on the military's ban on openly gay troops.

The Associated Press reports that U.S. Department of Justice attorneys have 60 days to appeal the ruling. U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips has already declared the 17-year-old policy unconstitutional, but said in today's ruling that the policy violates due process rights, among other legal issues.

The case was brought by the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group that began a legal challenge against the policy in 2004.

In late September, a congressional effort to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" hit a setback when the Senate failed to garner enough votes to start debate on the issue.

Read the injunction ruling here.

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