Prof. Elizabeth Hillman Expert in “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

As the debate over the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" statute gains heightened attention nationwide, UC Hastings Professor Elizabeth L. Hillman, a widely recognized expert in military justice, legal history, constitutional law and gender and sexuality in the law, is frequently called upon for her expertise.

She provided testimony in a Central California federal district court case striking down the statute as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. The court's ruling was based in large measure on the testimony of former service personnel, of which Hillman is one.

In her testimony, Hillman said she left the Air Force, where she received multiple awards and attained the rank of captain, because, "Every day when I walked past the elevator [at the Air Force Academy, where she was on the faculty]...I saw a sign that said ‘Academy core values: Integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do.' And I felt...I couldn't maintain those values and...not be open about my sexual orientation."

On Oct. 12, the judge in the case ordered that discharges of openly gay and lesbian soldiers under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy be stopped immediately. The Obama Administration has 60 days to file an appeal.

Hillman, a well-known authority on the policy, recently presented at a Harvard University panel on the subject.

Hillman is co-legal director at The Palm Center, a University of California-based think tank that has spent the last twelve years collecting scholarly assessments of the impact that ending sexual orientation discrimination has had on militaries around the world.

UC Hastings alums are also playing key roles in the debate over the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

In a recent case in Tacoma, Wash., U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton '76 ordered the reinstatement of a service member discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'' Sher Kung '09 was part of the American Civil Liberties Union's team of lawyers that argued the service member's case.

Later in October, Hillman is scheduled to present at a conference at Yale University on international sex crimes.  

Read more about the Central California federal district court case and Hillman.