District judge rules against discrimination.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled this month that the Defense Department cannot discharge or bar military personnel from becoming officers due to being HIV positive. She made this ruling based on a 2019 case that ordered the military not to ban the deployment of people with HIV due to concerns of transmitting the disease; modern medicine has made that argument obsolete.
Judge Brinkema’s decision blocks the Air Force from discharging the two active-duty personnel who filed this case. Peter Perkowski, an attorney for the plaintiffs, described how important this ruling was. “The military was the last employer in the country that had a policy against people living with HIV. Every other employer — including first responders — is subject to rules that prohibit discrimination based on HIV status,” he said.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For discernment for the judges in the federal judiciary as they hear cases and issue decisions.
- For wisdom for appellate court judges who consider the merits of and rule on the cases appealed to them.
- For the Lord’s will to be accomplished in the United States.
Sources: The Hill, AP
