Judge strikes down policy restricting HIV-positive service members

Military members who have tested positive for HIV are no longer barred from being deployed outside the country or being commissioned as officers, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

The decision reverses a long-standing Pentagon policy that required HIV-positive service members to provide a waiver to fulfill their duties and banned their enlistment altogether if diagnosed before entering the military. The policy was outdated and unfairly discriminated against HIV compared to other chronic health conditions, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled.