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Senator Gillibrand Pleased About DADT Ruling, Hopes Congress Hears It As A Call To Action

09/10/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Yesterday, Judge Phillips declared that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is unconstitutional.  The reactions regarding this decision are still coming in with New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand being the latest to join those who hope to push to have this law repealed.  New York’s junior Senator has been one of the biggest proponents for repealing DADT.  This year she faces her first election for the seat in a special election that she is expected to win.

“Judge Phillips’ ruling is a major step forward for our efforts to repeal this immoral and harmful policy.  I strongly hope that the ruling of this policy as unconstitutional will stand and that the Department of Justice will eventually choose not to appeal. President Obama has been an outspoken advocate for repeal and it would send a strong message if his justice department were to choose not to appeal. The decision should also serve as a call to action for Congress to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’

“Every American, no matter who you are or what you believe, has the God-given right to defend our country. No politician should rightly or lawfully stand in the way of that. Every U.S. Senator took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Now it’s time to do just that.

“I am confident that we can bring the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ up for a vote on the Senate floor in the coming weeks, and I urge all of my colleagues to abide by the oath we all took, and end this policy that tears America’s moral fabric and hurts our military readiness.”

How much the decision by Judge Phillips will change the course of the debate on DADT has yet to be seen.  It is possible that Senator Harry Reid may choose to not bring this to the floor of the Senate now that the courts have set precedent, but that would seriously undercut his chances in the November election as he needs something now to get the LGBT Community behind the Democrats in November.