By Lisa Keen on July 15, 2011
U.S. Senator Tom Coburn says lesbian federal court nominee Alison Nathan sounds like an “activist judge” to him, but he’s voting against her, he says, because she has lacks “substantial litigation experience.”
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By Lisa Keen on July 13, 2011
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has set Wednesday, July 20, at 10 a.m. to hear testimony on a bill to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
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By Lisa Keen on July 12, 2011
The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued yet another order this month, this time giving the federal government 10 days to “show cause” why the court should not dismiss as moot an appeal seeking to defend “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
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By Lisa Keen on June 29, 2011
President Obama told the audience at an LGBT Pride Month event at the White House Wednesday evening, June 29, that he has “met my commitments to the LGBT community.” But he also kept true to his promise at a press conference earlier in the day and offered no new information about his personal view of same-sex marriage or his support of marriage equality bills.
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By Lisa Keen on June 29, 2011
Supporters of Proposition 8 filed official notice Monday, June 27, that they intend to appeal a U.S. District Court ruling that rejected their request to vacate the landmark decision that found California’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
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By Dana Rudolph on June 28, 2011
The U.S. Department of Education office once headed by openly gay appointee Kevin Jennings and charged with helping with efforts to stop bullying and harassment of students, including LGBT youth, is now gone–a victim of drastic federal budget cuts.
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By Lisa Keen on June 24, 2011
Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a French newspaper Thursday, June 23, that the Pentagon hopes to certify the military is ready to implement repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” “in the last half of July, early August.”
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By Lisa Keen on June 24, 2011
The Republican-led House Appropriations Committee did the unexpected last Thursday, June 23. It advanced an appropriations bill involving District of Columbia funding without attaching language to repeal the city’s marriage equality law.
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By Lisa Keen on June 23, 2011
Republicans on the U.S. Judiciary Committee on Thursday asked to hold over the nominations of openly gay federal court nominee Alison Nathan and three other court nominees until next week.
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By Lisa Keen on June 14, 2011
The largest federal bankruptcy court in the United States on Monday ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act violates the equal protection guarantee of the U.S. Constitution. In a strongly worded decision, the 20 judges participating in the decision, ruled unanimously that “there is no valid governmental basis for DOMA.”
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By Lisa Keen on June 13, 2011
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that he may be able to certify the military’s readiness to enact repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” before he retires from office June 30.
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By Lisa Keen on June 12, 2011
“Traditional values” didn’t do too well in the latest CNN poll of American adults. For the first time in 18 years since the question has been asked, the percentage of adults thinking that the government should “promote traditional values” dropped below 50 percent.
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By Lisa Keen on June 11, 2011
Famed attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies will not be in a San Francisco courtroom Monday when attorneys in the landmark Proposition 8 case square off once again.
This time, the fight is over a motion to vacate the ruling August 2010 by federal district court Judge Vaughn Walker, and over whether Walker must leave videotapes of the trial sequestered permanently with the court.
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By Lisa Keen on June 10, 2011
Lesbian judicial nominee Alison Nathan told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday that, despite her relative youth and inexperience, she thinks she is well qualified to be a U.S. District Court judge.
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By Lisa Keen on June 7, 2011
The U.S. House’s four openly gay members have asked President Obama to issue a veto threat against a defense spending bill that includes a measure to delay repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
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By Lisa Keen on June 6, 2011
Lesbian federal court nominee Alison Nathan will have her confirmation hearing Wednesday, June 8.
President Obama nominated Nathan March 31 to a seat on the U.S. District Court for Southern New York, which covers Manhattan.
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By Lisa Keen on June 4, 2011
If U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin makes a run for Wisconsin’s soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat, there’s another openly gay legislator ready to run for Baldwin’s seat in the U.S. House.
State Rep. Mark Pocan, who, like Baldwin, is a Democrat from Madison, told The Capital Times of Madison that he will run for Baldwin’s seat, if she chooses to run for the Senate.
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By Lisa Keen on May 25, 2011
Gay legal activists are already working on a legal challenge to a new state law in Tennessee, signed into law Monday by Republican Governor Bill Haslam, which prevents local governments from requiring their contractors to abide by local human rights ordinances.
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By Lisa Keen on May 24, 2011
Yes on 8 attorneys say no one would seek to vacate openly gay Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision concerning the law barring openly gay people from the military. But when he struck down California’s law barring same-sex couples from obtaining marriage licenses, he stood to benefit directly from his decision.
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By Lisa Keen on May 19, 2011
The nomination of a liberal judicial candidate considered supportive, at least personally, of marriage equality, failed to muster enough votes in the U.S. Senate Thursday, May 19, to bring his confirmation to the floor.
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Ginsburg on Roe: Is it a signal she’d curb a decision on marriage?
Immigration bill advances without provisions for same-sex couples
Leahy submits language to help bi-national same-sex couples
Delaware votes for marriage equality; becomes 11th state to make it the law
Rhode Island marriage law signed; Two more states could vote next week
President praises pro athlete Jason Collins for courage to come out