Tuesday, October 12, 2010  The "Expert" on the Bench  A federal
district judge in California has issued a nationwide injunction
ending enforcement of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy,
effectively ending the military's long-time ban on openly gay
troops.  In her landmark ruling, Judge Virginia Phillips also
ordered the Pentagon to halt all discharge proceedings and
investigations prompted by the policy. Phillips is the same
judge who declared the law unconstitutional earlier this summer.
As the Associated Press reports, Judge Phillips rejected
government claims that lifting the ban could adversely impact
military operations:      The government has 60 days to appeal
the ruling, but there's speculation in legal circles that the
Pentagon and Justice Department will let the decision stand.
After all, Judge Phillips has accomplished something that
President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates couldn't do--
ending the decades-long ban on gays serving openly in the
military. It's no secret that both men favor