Monthly Archives: March 2011
Grassley puts gay district court nominee’s vote on hold
The ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday morning asked that the nomination of openly gay attorney Paul Oetken and three other federal district court nominees be held over indefinitely.
DOJ to married green card applicants: DOMA still applies
Just days after putting the applications for green cards on hold for same-sex married couples, the U.S. Citizens and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced it is back to processing them again--with the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in play.
Green card applications for married gays on hold awaiting DOJ guidance
U.S. immigration officials confirmed that the green card applications of immigrants who are in marriages with same-sex partners who are American citizens will be "held in abeyance" until the Department of Justice provides "final guidance related to distinct legal issues"
Arkansas Supreme Court reconsiders adoption ban
The Arkansas Supreme Court heard arguments March 17 in a case to determine whether the state constitution will allow a law banning any person cohabiting with a sexual partner outside of marriage from adopting or foster a child. It is
9th Circuit refuses to lift stay on ruling that Prop 8 is unconstitutional
The U.S. Court of Appeals panel hearing the Proposition 8 case on Wednesday denied a request by plaintiffs to lift the stay on the lower court’s ruling in their favor. Had the three-judge panel granted the request, same-sex couples in California
AIDS activist legend Elizabeth Taylor dies
Acting legend Elizabeth Taylor, who put her own reputation on the line in order to help people with AIDS at a time, in the 1980s, when society was deeply afraid of the disease, died of congestive heart failure Wednesday, March
White House pushes to end persecution of LGBT people worldwide
The White House announced Tuesday evening that President Obama and Brazilian President Rousseff have established a "special rapporteur on LGBT issues at the Organization of American States." It also drew attention to a United Nations declaration, backed by the U.S.
Senate confirmations: A partisan pelt-and-wait game
It looked like a cake-walk: President Obama nominated openly gay attorney Paul Oetken to a federal district court bench in Manhattan two months ago, and just last week, he had a confirmation hearing.
Court loss with a silver lining
Efforts to secure equal benefits for a gay federal court employee in San Francisco suffered a setback Wednesday when a federal judge dismissed the employee’s lawsuit. But Lambda Legal Defense says the dismissal has a silver lining.
