US high court declines to lift military ban on gays

The Supreme Court on Friday denied a request to lift the Pentagon's ban that prevents openly gay men and women from serving in the US military, a decision that turns the focus on the issue to Congress when lawmakers return to work next week.



President Barack Obama has pledged to end the don't ask, don't tell policy, which requires homosexual soldiers to keep their orientation secret, but has run into hurdles getting lawmakers to pass the legislation to end it.
At the same time, he has been battling a court fight in which the Log Cabin Republicans, a national gay and lesbian advocacy group, won a lower court ruling last month that barred the Pentagon from enforcing the policy.
Obama's Justice Department appealed to give the military more time to prepare for admitting gay soldiers.

While the district court judge found that 'don't ask, don't tell', adopted in 1993, violated the US Constitution, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit put that decision on hold pending its review.