Landmark Trial: ACLU-WA Seeks Reinstatement of Air Force Major Discharged under "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell"

The landmark case of Major Margaret Witt, a decorated U.S. Air Force flight nurse dismissed on grounds that she engaged in homosexual conduct, went to trial on Monday, Sept. 13 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.  The ACLU of Washington is representing Major Witt in challenging her discharge under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The trial is expected to last seven days.

In 2008 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the Air Force must prove that discharging Major Witt is necessary for purposes of military readiness. While the ruling left in place the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, the court found that before discharging a soldier, the military must prove that the individual’s conduct actually hurt morale and unit cohesion. The case was remanded to federal district court for trial to consider the case under the appellate court’s standard of review.

The lawsuit has drawn national attention. At her confirmation hearings, then-Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan discussed the significance of the “Witt Standard” established by the case.

 “Major Margaret Witt has been an exemplary member of the military with a distinguished record of service. To discharge her simply because of her sexual orientation is unfair to her and also is unwise for the military, which needs her skills,” said ACLU of Washington Executive Director Kathleen Taylor.

“I want to serve my country. I have loved being in the military – my fellow airmen have been my family. I am proud of my career and want to continue doing my job,” said Major Witt. “Wounded people never asked me about my sexual orientation. They were just glad to see me there,” she added.

A 1986 graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, Major Margaret Witt is a flight nurse assigned to McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma. During her 19-year career in the Air Force, Major Witt has served in the Persian Gulf, has received many medals and commendations, and has always had superb evaluations from her superiors. In 1993, she was selected to be the “poster child” for the Air Force Nurse Corps recruitment flyer.

Major Witt served in Oman during Operation Enduring Freedom and received a medal from President Bush, who noted that she had delivered “outstanding medical care” to injured service members and that her “outstanding aerial accomplishments …  reflect great credit upon herself and the United States Air Force.”  In 2003, Major Witt received another medal for saving the life of a Defense Department employee who collapsed aboard a government chartered flight from Bahrain.   

From 1997 to 2003, Major Witt was in a committed relationship with another woman, a civilian.  In the summer of 2004, Major Witt was notified that the Air Force had begun an investigation into an allegation that she had engaged in homosexual conduct. In November 2004, Major Witt was placed on unpaid leave and told she could no longer participate in any military duties, pending formal separation proceedings. In March 2006, the Air Force informed Major Witt that she was being administratively discharged on grounds of homosexual conduct.

The lawsuit seeks to reverse the Air Force decision to discharge Major Witt. In its 2008 ruling, the Court of Appeals emphasized that generalized or hypothetical assertions about the impact of gay and lesbian service members would not be sufficient.  The trial court “must determine not whether [the policy requiring discharge of gay and lesbian service members] has some hypothetical, post hoc rationalization in general, but whether a justification exists for the application of the policy as applied to Major Witt.”

The military has provided no evidence that her sexual orientation or conduct has caused a problem in the performance of her military duties. To the contrary, the ACLU has submitted declarations from military colleagues testifying that her forced absence is harmful to her unit’s morale.

Representing Major Witt are ACLU-WA Legal Director Sarah Dunne and Sher Kung, a Perkins Coie Fellow, and ACLU-WA cooperating attorneys James Lobsenz of Carney Badley Spellman and Aaron Caplan of Loyola Law School. In a previous ACLU case, Lobsenz represented Army Sgt. Perry Watkins, who challenged his dismissal from the military for being gay. In 1989, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that, as a matter of fairness, the Army could not discharge Watkins.