Don’t break out the “Free To Serve Openly And Proudly” party piñata just yet. The U.S. Department of Justice has filed an objection in relation to a California judge declaring “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” unconstitutional last weekend.
Lawyers for the Log Cabin Republicans filed a request for an injunction against DADT after (heroine of the people) Judge Virginia Phillip’s historic ruling last week. Here’s a snippet:
“‘[A]ny injunction in this case must be limited to plaintiff LCR and the claims it asserts on behalf of its members – and cannot extend to non-parties – plaintiff’s requested world-wide injunction of the statute fails as a threshold matter,’ assistant U.S. attorney Paul Freeborne wrote.
The White House had this to say about the filing:
“This filing in no way diminishes the President’s firm commitment to achieve a legislative repeal of DADT – indeed, it clearly shows why Congress must act to end this misguided policy.”
What are your thoughts on the Department of Justice’s actions? Let us know in the comments section.
– J. Harvey
What is Obama’s problem? Why does he feel the need to have his justice department defend laws that he publicly opposed? There are only two people with the authority to challenge this judge’s ruling: The President and, failing him, Congress. That means Democrats support this move, because if Obama didn’t make this move, only Congress could, and a Democratic Congress can easily simply choose not to do anything.
(Addendum) If neither Obama nor Congress defended DADT, the judge’s ruling would stand.
It was expected that this would happen, this gives another 60 days before the Administration has to decide if they are going to fight the decision, this way the election can happen in november, and try to get the Defense Auth. bill through again in the lame duck session, which people think will be easier than right now before the midterm election
They’ve already tried a vote on it, and it seems to me they already have the perfect fodder with which to accuse Republicans of not supporting troops. Eventually, the cost of voting against defense authorization will be greater than the accusation of “playing politics” by adding a DADT repeal to the bill.
The government is obligated to defend any federal statute. I believe in this case, all they filed was the simplest of briefs, and didn’t really make a full-throated defense of the law. They just did enough to keep their obligation.
Obama promised to abolish DADT THIS YEAR! 60 days from now is Thanksgiving and then Christmas and then the year is over AND HE STILL HASN’T DONE ANYTHING! Damn it, man, keep your promises!
LMAO…any one who believes that any politician will do anything they promises during the election campaign..call me.. i got resort island property in kansas to sell you cheap….
you know, maybe i’m giving obama too much credit here, but it’s really frustrating to listen to people say “he promised this”, “he promised that”, and then villifying him for not making it all better with a snap of his fingers. these things do take time, and involve policy. regardless of what the bush administration may have fed us, the president is simply not all-powerful.
sure, obama might have made a mistake by saying that he would do a certain thing by a certain time, but i would rather have a president who BELIEVES that don’t ask don’t tell is wrong over someone who doesn’t even try to make things right. and i would support obama on this matter even if the repeal were to fail, but he tried. i mean, does TRYING to do that right thing mean anything anymore?
Here are the countries that ban open service by LGBT soldiers: Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Syria, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Cuba and the United States of America. Aren’t we in good company?
So the Republicans don’t support the U.S. Troups? News to me. It’s usually the liberal side that wants to ignore them. You’ll find that conservatives support them more with their money than anyone else.
As far as Obama, LOL. Like he really intended to keep ANY promise he made! LOL
@ toddm, you must be a tea bagger. you cant even spell troops correctly. i think all americans support the troops, that doesnt mean they support wars based on lies and fears. DADT will eventually fall and so will DOMA.
I noticed that after I typed that. Has nothing to do with being a tea bagger. I’ve never been to one of their events.
“The government is obligated to defend any federal statute.”
Hardly. The government can accept a court striking down a law. Obama had the choice of wether to defend the law or let the ruling stand. If he let it stand, then Congress could file the brief instead. But either branch can also decline to do so.
“You’ll find that conservatives support them more with their money than anyone else.”
They blocked a vote, which the knew they would lose, and in so doing denied funding to the troops, all because of their partisan opposition to a repeal that both Robert Gates and Adm. Mullens support.
TFB: I wasn’t talking about the “conservatives” in DC. I was talking about the true ones living in the rest of America.