The 1996 Solomon Amendment provides for the Secretary of Defense to deny federal funding to institutions of higher learning if they prohibit or prevent ROTC or military recruitment on campus. This has brought into question the constitutionality of the legislation. In Rumsfeld v. FAIR, handed down on March 6, 2006, the Supreme Court rejected the arguments of FAIR, SALT and several individual plaintiffs and upheld the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment. The Supreme Court decided that law schools' and law faculties' First Amendment free speech rights were not violated by the Solomon Amendment because law schools and faculties remain free to voice their opposition to the military's discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy as it relates to sexual orientation.

This discussion will provide insight about this issue from the Department of Defense and affected servicemembers’ perspectives. The presenters include Darla Jackson, OCU LAW Library Reference and Access Services Librarian and former military attorney and Emily Hecht, Staff Attorney with the Washington, DC, based group Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

This law raises many issues, several of which are highly charged. OCU LAW is pleased to present this information and is proud that several disparate student organizations – Lesbian and Gay Law Students Association, American Constitution Society, and the Federalist Society – have combined efforts to offer this program of civil discourse.

Co-sponsored by PCDC, LGLSA, ACS, FedSoc