7/24/2010

"A federal judge has blocked Arizona from denying family health insurance to employees' same-sex partners, saying the state violated the equal-protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

"...The bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer in September, amended the definition of 'dependent' under state law to mean either a child or 'a spouse under the laws of this state.' That change prevented the partners of gay and lesbians, who are legally unable to marry, from receiving benefits.

U.S. District Court Judge John W. Sedwick today granted Lambda Legal's request for a preliminary injunction blocking the elimination of domestic partner benefits for gay and lesbian Arizona State employees. The judge also substantially denied a motion to dismiss the case by State's Attorney Charles Grube, ordering that the case proceed on the merits.

Late yesterday, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin ruled that discrimination claims filed by Lambda Legal and the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) on behalf of Melody Rose will proceed to trial.

7/20/2010

7/13/2010

"The outcome of any case could depend on Justice Anthony Kennedy, author of the major gay-rights rulings and the pivotal vote on the court.

"No dispute directly testing gay rights was heard in the recently completed term, yet one case at the margins put Kennedy again in a decisive position. He was the key fifth vote to uphold a policy at a California state law school denying recognition to a Christian group that excluded gay student members.

7/13/2010

"Calling the discriminatory policy 'one of the most pressing civil rights issues in our great country today,' attorneys challenging 'don't ask, don't tell' in federal court said Tuesday the U.S. government has no legitimate basis for maintaining the ban on gay soldiers serving openly in the armed forces.

Today, the Obama Administration announced the first-ever national strategy in the fight against HIV/AIDS - a wide-ranging five-year plan to combat the epidemic in the United States.

From July, 2010 Of Counsel Vol. 6, No. 3

7/7/2010

"A federal court has ruled in favor of a former Georgia state legislative aide who claimed she was fired after telling her boss she would come to work dressed as woman as she transitioned from man to woman.

"U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story wrote in his ruling Friday that Vandy Beth Glenn’s firing violated her constitutional rights under the Equal Protection Clause.

"Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a civil-unions bill yesterday after concluding it was the equivalent to marriage, which she believes should be reserved for a man and a woman.