{"id":30426,"date":"2019-02-26T02:14:31","date_gmt":"2019-02-26T02:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/02\/26\/judge-rules-against-male-only-military-draft-but-no-changes-imminent\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:52:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:52:21","slug":"judge-rules-against-male-only-military-draft-but-no-changes-imminent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/02\/26\/judge-rules-against-male-only-military-draft-but-no-changes-imminent\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge rules against male-only military draft, but no changes imminent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 The chairman of a panel considering changes<\/a> to the U.S. military draft said Monday its recommendations to Congress won\u2019t be influenced by a federal judge\u2019s recent ruling that the current system is unconstitutional because it only applies to men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military has not drafted anyone into service in more than 40 years, but American men must still register when they turn 18. Recent efforts to make registration also mandatory for women<\/a> have set off intense debate in Washington<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. District Judge Gray Miller declared a male-only draft unconstitutional in his ruling late Friday, but he stopped short of ordering the government to make any immediate changes. He said the time for debating \u201cthe place of women in the Armed Forces\u201d is over. Women now make up 20 percent of the Air Force, 19 percent of the Navy, 15 percent of the Army and 8.6 percent of the Marines, according to Pentagon figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Justice Department declined comment Monday after losing the case out of Houston.<\/p>\n\n\n\t