In the News

2/5/2009

"Two federal judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals have required payment of health insurance benefits to same-sex spouses of lawyers employed by the U.S. government.

"Judge Stephen Reinhardt and Chief Judge Alex Kozinski issued the orders as hearing officers for circuit employee disputes, the Daily Journal reports (sub. req.). Reinhardt's order declared the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.

1/30/2009

"It was as predictable as it was privately heartbreaking: A gay couple marries while living in Massachusetts, then moves to Texas and later seeks a divorce.

"A marriage ending in divorce would seldom make news; only the couple's sexual orientation makes this case noteworthy. I worry, though, that in the minor tempest accompanying the news, we're missing two important points.

2/2/2009

"Same-sex couples who were married out of state are being given a clearer understanding of what their rights and responsibilities are in New York in a guide recently published by four leading advocacy groups.

2/2/2009

"A federal judge has sanctioned Gary Community School Corp. for failing to turn over documents to lawyers for a former student who is suing the district for barring him from the senior prom because he was wearing a pink gown.

"Even before the case goes to trial, the district will have to pay some fees for lawyers representing Kevin 'K.K.' Logan, who had requested Judge Paul R. Cherry's intervention after school attorneys repeatedly missed deadlines to give up documents related to the 2006 West Side High School prom.

1/15/2009

"A coalition of more than 50 labor organizations representing more than two million Californians filed a friend-of-the-court brief Tuesday urging the state Supreme Court to overturn the voter-approved constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

"The labor groups' brief argues that 'any change to the California Constitution that takes away fundamental rights or that divides citizens into suspect classes must be accomplished by a 'revision' of the Constitution, and not the simple 'amendment' employed in Proposition 8.'

12/24/2008

"Gay-rights activists remain hopeful about the Obama presidency but are now more wary after what one called a 'double punch to the gut' ? the choice of a pastor they consider hostile for a prime inauguration role and dashed hopes for the first openly gay Cabinet member.

"'We have a right to expect a great deal from people who say they're our friend,' said Kevin Cathcart, executive director of the gay-rights group Lambda Legal. 'Maybe this is an important wakeup call to people in the transition about the weight their actions carry.'"

12/28/2008

"In his ruling Monday, [U.S. District Judge Jay] Zainey said Louisiana's Office of Vital Records must give full faith and credit to the New York State court in which Adar and Smith adopted the boy, he ruled Monday. The office had refused to issue a birth certificate listing both as the boy's legal parents.

"'The facts are so clear that no trial is needed,' Zainey wrote.

12/21/2008

"California Attorney General Jerry Brown changed course on the state's new same-sex marriage ban Friday and urged the state Supreme Court to void Proposition 8.

"In a dramatic reversal, Mr. Brown filed a legal brief saying the measure that amended the California Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman is itself unconstitutional because it deprives a minority group of a fundamental right.

12/08/2008

"The gay marriage debate will play out in a courtroom in the Heartland this week as the Iowa Supreme Court hears arguments in a challenge to the state's same-sex marriage ban.

"...Camilla Taylor, an attorney for Lambda Legal, a gay rights organization representing the gay and lesbian couples behind the lawsuit, said Iowa is a fitting spot for the issue to be decided. She said the state has historically been a leader in supporting minority and women's rights.

11/27/2008

"The national fight over same-sex marriage is coming to a peak in Iowa, where the state's highest court will hear arguments next month over whether the state's ban on gay unions is unconstitutional.

"...Iowa District Court for Polk County Judge Robert Hanson ruled in August 2007 that the act violated the state constitutional rights of equal protection and due process. The ruling stood for less than 24 hours before a Polk County attorney filed an appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court.