The Defense Department is taking steps to "immediately" comply with a court ruling to end enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell policy," a Pentagon spokesman said on Wednesday.
"We will of course comply with orders of the court," said Defense Department spokesman Marine Col. Dave Lapan in a written statement. The Pentagon will "immediately" begin to inform personnel in the field of the order and is reviewing the ruling with the Justice Department, Lapan said.
A three-judge panel in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday that the military's policy banning gay people from serving openly—"don't ask, don't tell"— must be lifted, the Associated Press reported.
President Obama signed a bill repealing the controversial law in December, but the repeal did not take immediate effect, pending certification that the repeal would not harm the military's readiness.
Lapan said the process is "proceeding smoothly" and certification is just weeks away.
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