In a brazen and unprecedented political move, Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court — who was reelected a year ago after being removed from the bench in 2003 for defying a federal court order to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from his courtroom — inserted himself into the fight for the freedom to marry.
Lambda Legal's National Legal Director, Jon W. Davidson, talks to the Huffington Post about a very significant ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals two weeks ago:
Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits excluding lesbians and gay men from juries based on their sexual orientation.
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today overturned a lower court ruling because the trial judge erred in allowing one litigant to use a peremptory challenge (a challenge to a juror not based on demonstrated cause) to remove a juror because of the juror’s sexual orientation.
In 2013, it became crystal clear just how critical our courts are in the fight to secure legal equality for LGBT people and those with HIV. Unfortunately, when courts rule on important civil rights issues, they often come under attack from individuals and groups — going beyond criticizing outcomes and legal arguments — seeking to intimidate judges and undermine the function of the court system.
President Obama has nominated three women to the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C Circuit, which is often referred to as the second-most important court in the country. All three have been filibustered by Republicans in the Senate.
Today, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Todd Hughes to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit where he will become the first openly gay federal appellate judge in the country.
Today, the U.S. Constitution turns 226 years old. We have a great deal to celebrate, but quite a bit of work remaining if we hope to extend the Constitution’s guarantee of liberty and equality to all.
Last week, the U.S. Senate took steps to ensure that potential LGBT jurors in federal trials could not be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.