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First Circuit to Hear Oral Arguments in “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Case
WHAT: The federal First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, Mass., will hear oral arguments in Cook v. Gates, a constitutional challenge to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service personnel.
WHO: Several plaintiffs in the case, including Boston native Laura Galaburda, will be available outside of the courthouse immediately following oral arguments. The plaintiffs will be joined by C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and attorneys from the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.
WHY: Since 1993, more than 11,000 service members have been dismissed under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The twelve plaintiffs in Cook v. Gates are seeking reinstatement in the armed forces. Their lawsuit asserts that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” punishes gay, lesbian and bisexual service members for their sexual orientation and for their private, constitutionally protected conduct. As a result, the plaintiffs argue, it has denied and continues to deny them several constitutional rights, including the right to privacy, equal protection of the law, and freedom of speech. The challenge to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the plaintiffs’ appeal brief asserts, is “grounded in basic principles of identity, equality and freedom.”
WHEN: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 ● 10am
Time subject to change, depending on court’s oral argument schedule on the morning of March 7.
WHERE: John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse ● 1 Courthouse Way ● Boston, MA
For more information on Cook v. Gates, including biographies of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, visit www.sldn.org.
