A federal judge has ordered the Air Force to reinstate Maj. Margaret Witt, a skilled flight nurse thrown out of the service because it was learned she was a lesbian. An important earlier appeals court ruling said the government had to show there was a military interest in her dismissal.

Federal Judge Ronald Leighton said, “Good flight nurses are hard to find.” He said trial evidence showed Witt’s reinstatement “… would not adversely affect unit morale or cohesion” in her unit.

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The ruling comes the same week a Republican filibuster, joined by Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln, blocked military spending legislation that included a path to repeal of the anti-gay policy.

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