4/9/2009

"Vermont has become the fourth state to approve same-sex marriage. The decision comes one week after the Iowa Supreme Court cleared the way for gay-marriage in that state. A look at gay marriage in America."

4/9/2009

"Iowa's Supreme Court ruled unanimously Friday that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couple.

"That makes Iowa the third state, and the first in the Midwest, where gay marriage will be legal."

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4/7/2009

"Vermont on Tuesday became the fourth state to recognize gay marriage, and the D.C. Council voted to recognize same-sex unions performed in other states. The two actions give same-sex marriage proponents new momentum, following a similar victory last week in Iowa's Supreme Court.

4/7/2009

"Gay-rights groups say that momentum from back-to-back victories on in Vermont and Iowa could spill into other states, particularly since at least nine other legislatures are considering measures this year to allow marriage between gay couples.

"The Vermont Legislature on Tuesday overrode Gov. Jim Douglas's veto of a bill allowing gay couples to marry, mustering one more vote than needed to preserve the measure.

4/3/2009

"Basic fairness and constitutional equal protection were the linchpins of Friday's historic Iowa Supreme Court ruling that overturned a 10-year-old ban on same-sex marriage and puts Iowa squarely in the center of the nation's debate over gay rights.

"...The Polk County lawsuit, Varnum vs. Brien, was financed by Lambda Legal, a gay-rights group that has fought similar battles across the country.

4/3/2009

"A court ruling today made Iowa the first state in the Midwest ? and the third in the country ? to allow same-sex marriage, putting it in a class with Connecticut and Massachusetts. This is a marker that not even the nation's big blue coastal states, California and New York, have been able to achieve.

4/4/2009

"Iowa became the third state in the country and the first from the rural heartland to legalize same-sex marriage when its Supreme Court yesterday unanimously struck down the state's decade-long ban.

"...Justices look at opinions from other states," said Jennifer C. Pizer, the national marriage project director for Lambda Legal, which brought the Iowa case. 'There's a significant likelihood that [the decision] will influence other states, like California.'

3/31/2009

"The state's highest court agreed on Tuesday to hear arguments in two cases that challenge New York's recognition of same-sex-marriages legally performed elsewhere.

"...Susan Sommer, senior counsel from Lambda Legal, a gay rights group that is representing Westchester County and the civil service department, said she had hoped the court would decide not to hear the cases, but added that she was optimistic it would not rule against same-sex couples.

3/29/2009

"An Internet forum I read has been discussing living with people with H.I.V. As someone whose roommate is H.I.V. positive, I believe he need not tell housemates about his status. Many disagree, saying that household items ? a razor, a toothbrush ? could be used accidentally. I say the chance of infection in this way is too low to require disclosure. Agreed? NAME WITHHELD, NEW YORK

3/16/2009

"Want a hint of how much President Barack Obama's eventual appointees will change the federal appeals courts?

"...'Never underestimate the importance of having a fair judiciary at every level,' says gay rights litigator Kevin Cathcart of Lambda Legal.