Press Release

(SAN FRANCISCO) — The California Attorney General, Equality California, and the nation's leading LGBT legal groups agree that the marriages of the estimated 18,000 same-sex couples who married between June 16, 2008 and the possible passage of Proposition 8 are still valid in the state of California and must continue to be honored by the state.

(New York, November 5, 2008) — Lambda Legal Executive Director, Kevin Cathcart issued the following statement:

(New York, October 31, 2008) — Lambda Legal announces the election of four new outstanding leaders to serve on its Board of Directors and they are: Ramona Alves of Greenbae, California; Eric J. Nilson of Cleveland, Ohio; Brad Seiling of Los Angeles California; and Richard B. Weiss of Indianapolis, Indiana.

(San Diego, October 10, 2008) — In a 3-0 decision, the California Court of Appeal (Fourth District) today upheld a jury decision that found that Poway Unified School District officials took minimal or no action at all when two Poway High School students were subjected to relentless harassment because they are gay and lesbian. The ruling upheld an award of $300,000 to Megan Donovan and Joey Ramelli under the state education code.

(Hartford, CT, Friday, October 10, 2008) — Lambda Legal applauds today's decision by the Connecticut Supreme Court awarding full access to marriage to the state's gay and lesbian residents, making Connecticut the third state in the nation to grant marriage equality to same-sex couples.

(Des Moines, October 3, 2008) — Today the Iowa Supreme Court announced that it will hear oral arguments on Tuesday, December 9 at 10:00 a.m. in Lambda Legal's lawsuit seeking marriage equality for same-sex couples in Iowa.

Each side will be allotted 30 minutes to present their side.

"We are pleased to be making our arguments to the Iowa Supreme Court," said Camilla Taylor, Senior Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal's Midwest Regional Office in Chicago.

(Annapolis, September 9, 2008) — In a one paragraph order issued today, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a challenge to a referendum that attempted to block a unanimously enacted transgender protection law.

"We're pleased with this victory. The court ruled in our favor in our challenge to this improper referendum," said Natalie Chin, Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal. "Though the order was brief we feel confident that we've stopped this referendum from being on November's ballot."

The court indicated that they will be releasing an opinion at a later time.

(New York, September 9, 2008) — In an amicus ("friend of the court") brief submitted to the Appellate Division, Second Department, of the New York State Supreme Court today, Lambda Legal urged the court to reject a school district's claim that the New York Human Rights Law (NYHRL) does not protect public school students from discrimination.

(New York September 2, 2008) —The New York Supreme Court (Bronx trial court) has dismissed a lawsuit against Governor Paterson that attempted to challenge his directive, consistent with long-standing New York law, that state agencies respect out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples. Lambda Legal represented Peri Rainbow and Tamela Sloan, state employees who married in Canada.