Court Ruling May Pave the Way for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to Go

A court ruling handed down on Thursday may pave the way for "don't ask, don't tell" to be repealed. According to the decision by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, Air Force Maj. Margaret Witt's earlier victory invalidating her discharge will be allowed to stand, leaving the military to acquiesce -- or go to the Supreme Court, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

In May, Witt, a decorated nurse, won her case before a three-judge panel of the appeals court, which ruled that the military must show why an individual soldier is being discharged for being gay. The Air Force now has 90 days to appeal to the Supreme Court, the Chronicle reports; otherwise, the new requirement becomes binding in the eight states of the Ninth Circuit, including California.