Landmark Cases
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A lawsuit against the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) on behalf of a 65-year-old gay man seeking spousal survivor’s benefits based on his 43-year relationship with his husband, who died seven months after Arizona began allowing same-sex couples to marry. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Michael Ely in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona argues that SSA’s imposition of a nine-month marriage requirement for social security survivor’s benefits is unconstitutional where same-sex couples were not able to be married for nine months because of discriminatory marriage laws.
If you married your same-sex spouse, but were unable to be married for at least nine months before your spouse’s death because of discriminatory marriage laws where you lived, you may be a member of the Ely class. Click here for the Ely FAQ: https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/20210212_ely_faq
Bostock v. Clayton County, GA / Zarda v. Altitude Express / RG & GR Harris Funeral Homes Inc v. EEOC
On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision approving the analysis Lambda Legal has been advancing for fifteen years that discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation is sex discrimination, and violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This federal law, which often is referred to as “Title VII,” prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin and religion.
In groundbreaking 8-3 decision, the full Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation violates federal civil rights law. This came after Lambda Legal urged the Court to reverse a lower court ruling and allow Kimberly Hively to present her case alleging that Ivy Tech Community College, where she worked as an instructor for 14 years, denied her fulltime employment and promotions and eventually terminated her employment because she is a lesbian.
The landmark case that helped bring equal marriage nationwide.
Amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit urging that heightened scrutiny be applied to discrimination based upon sexual orientation.
HIV criminalization case where an HIV-positive man was sentenced to 25 years in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender after a one-time sexual encounter in which he used a condom.
Pioneering case seeking the right to marry for same-sex couples in Hawaii
(Amicus) Groundbreaking case seeking the right to marry for same-sex couples in Vermont
Case arguing that health care providers' personal religious beliefs do not excuse discrimination against LGBT patients Issues
(Amicus) Historic case seeking to uphold a viewpoint-neutral student group system at public universities
Historic case arguing for a sheriff's culpability for his acts in the murder of a transgender man