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Victory! SSA Grants Spousal Benefits to Texas Widow in Lambda Legal Case

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March 8, 2016

Today Lambda Legal announced the resolution of its lawsuit against the Social Security Administration (SSA) brought on behalf of Kathy Murphy, a Texas widow denied spousal benefits after the death of her wife, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (the National Committee).

See Also: Marriage, Same-sex relationships, Social Security Administration
Victory! Kentucky Supreme Court Unanimously Affirms Lesbian Mother’s Right to Custody Petition in Lambda Legal Case

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February 18, 2016

Today, in a unanimous decision, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that Lambda Legal client, Amy H., a lesbian mother, will have her day in court to petition for joint custody of her daughter.

See Also: Adoption and Parenting, Marriage Relationships and Family Protections, Same-sex relationships
Victory! Lambda Legal Resolves Lawsuit on Behalf of American Military Partner Association for VA Benefits for Same-Sex Spouses

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January 20, 2016

Today, Lambda Legal and the American Military Partner Association (AMPA) announced that they are concluding litigation against the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) following the VA’s changes to its policies on benefits ending discrimination against veterans and their same-sex spouses.

See Also: Marriage, Marriage Relationships and Family Protections, Same-sex relationships
Lambda Legal Seeks Accurate Birth Certificates for Children Born to Married Same-Sex Couples in North Carolina

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December 17, 2015

Today, Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina on behalf Melissa and Meredith Weiss, a married lesbian couple, seeking birth certificates listing both mothers as parents of their two sons.

See Also: Family, Marriage Relationships and Family Protections, Same-sex relationships, Weiss v. Brajer
Ask Lambda Legal–The Office Holiday Party

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December 9, 2015

Employment fairness has been a central part of our work for 42 years — and it is a priority we will continue to fight for.

See Also: Ask Lambda Legal, Marriage, Same-sex relationships
Victory! Gay Widower Wins Florida Property Tax Battle

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October 22, 2015

At a hearing today, the Miami-Dade County Office of Property Appraisal agreed to reinstate the spousal homestead protections of Lambda Legal client Hal Birchfield, a gay widower previously denied protections against certain tax increases for the home he had shared with his husband because his marriage was not recognized at the time of his husband’s death.

See Also: Marriage, Same-sex relationships
Closing the Book on Georgia’s Marriage Ban

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October 8, 2015

Today, the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia officially issued its decision in Inniss et al v. Aderhold et al, the Georgia marriage case.

See Also: Marriage, Same-sex relationships
SSA Tells Court It Will Apply Obergefell Retroactively To Grant Spousal Benefits In Lambda Legal Case

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August 20, 2015

Today, in a status conference with Lambda Legal in federal court in Chicago, the Department of Justice announced that the Social Security Administration (SSA) will apply the U.S. Supreme Court's recent landmark marriage ruling retroactively and process pending spousal benefits claims for same-sex couples who lived in states that did not previously recognize their marriages.

See Also: Marriage, Marriage Relationships and Family Protections, Same-sex relationships, Social Security Administration
From Impact Magazine: Indiana Was the Tip Of The Iceberg

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August 18, 2015

More than 100 state bills so far have aimed to use religious beliefs as an excuse for discrimination. The idea is to allow businesses and public employees to mistreat LGBT people and consider married same-sex couples as unmarried.

See Also: Anti-LGBT Rulings, Laws and Amendments, Law & Policy Project, Marriage, Marriage Relationships and Family Protections, Religious Exemptions, Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Religiously Motivated Discrimination, Same-sex relationships
Ask Lambda Legal – The Equality Act

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August 12, 2015

Following the introduction of the Equality Act in July, questions have arisen about just how the bill is designed to protect LGBT people and its potential impact on employers, businesses and religious entities.

See Also: Ask Lambda Legal, Employment and Rights in the Workplace, Housing, Law & Policy Project, Marriage Family and Relationship Protections, Same-sex relationships, Transgender Rights