Updated

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A judge has agreed to hear a case challenging the U.S. government's "don't ask, don't tell' policy against openly gay soldiers.

Lawyer Dan Woods says U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips in Riverside, Calif. agreed Monday to send the case to trial July 13.

Woods is representing the Log Cabin Republicans, a group rights group.

He says the group hopes to end the 1993 policy by having it declared unconstitutional.

If the group wins, Woods says it could set a precedent for the entire nation.

The Obama administration supports the drive to repeal the ban but faces a tough road ahead in the full Senate, where Republicans are likely to filibuster it.