THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 21, 1996 TAG: 9603210408
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEW HAVEN, CONN. LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Connecticut's highest court has upheld a ruling that banned the military from recruiting at the University of Connecticut Law School.
The state Supreme Court in Hartford said in a 3-2 decision Tuesday that the Clinton administration's ``don't ask, don't tell'' policy discriminates against homosexuals and violates Connecticut anti-discrimination laws.
Although the ruling only applies to Connecticut, it could influence universities elsewhere, said Marc Elovitz, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union.
``What it says generally is that if the military continues to discriminate against lesbians and gay men, then it will be subject to non-discrimination laws as they exist around the country,'' Elovitz said.
U.S. Defense Department spokesman Col. Doug Kennett said he could not comment because Pentagon officials had not yet seen the decision.
The ACLU filed suit in 1992 on behalf of homosexual students, charging that the state-funded school had violated their rights by allowing an organization that discriminates against gays to recruit on state property.
A Superior Court judge ruled in 1994 that the school violated a 1991 anti-discrimination law prohibiting state agencies, including educational institutions, from opening their facilities to discriminatory employers.
That court permanently barred the school from letting the military use the college's facilities to recruit. Since then, students have had to go off campus for their interviews.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, whose office appealed the 1994 ruling, said Tuesday he would consult with university leaders to determine if changes are necessary. by CNB