DOJ Opposes Abrupt End to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Lawyers for the U.S. government are accusing a gay rights group of trying to circumvent a federal court ruling that put on hold a trial judge's ruling striking down the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays in the military.

The Department of Justice said in legal papers filed Friday that arguments by the Log Cabin Republicans this week are an attempt to keep the lawsuit alive.

The group is asking the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals, which imposed a stay preventing the lower court's ruling from taking effect, to bar enforcement of "don't ask, don't tell" until its repeal is completed.

Government lawyers want the court to set aside the case because the Pentagon is moving quickly to satisfy the steps Congress outlined last month when it voted to allow the ban's repeal.