Government Asks Supreme Court to Keep DADT In Effect During Appeal
In a filing at the U.S. Supreme Court this afternoon, the U.S. government, represented by acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal, asked the court to leave in place the stay of U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips’s injunction of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The government’s argument would keep DADT in effect while the Log Cabin Republicans v. United States case is on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
In part, Katyal concludes:
[T]he court of appeals reasonably decided to stay the district court’s injunction in its entirety, pending consideration of the merits of the government’s appeal.
That decision does not remotely present the sort of exceptional circumstances that would warrant interference with an interim order of the court of appeals. To the contrary, the court of appeals’ stay comports with this Court’s well-settled precedents, permits the continued nationwide operation of an Act of Congress that has governed in the military for 17 years, and preserves the status quo pending the court of appeals’ consideration of the merits of this facial challenge to that federal statute. Accordingly, this Court should deny Log Cabin’s application to vacate the stay.
Government’s Opposition, at 28-29 (citations omitted). A declaration from Clifford Stanley, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, dated October 13, is attached to the government’s filing.
Read the government’s filing: US-response-10A465-11-10-10.pdf
Read LCR’s high court request: Application to Vacate.pdf
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
