By Lisa Keen on July 20, 2010
Both “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and same-sex marriage continued to be a prominent focus of the confirmation proceedings for Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, as the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday recommended the confirmation.
Posted in Federal Courts, Issues, Law, News, Nominees, U.S. Supreme Court
By Lisa Keen on July 14, 2010
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is not on the agenda for Senate floor action for the next few weeks, prior to the August 9 recess. The Senate will take up work on as many as nine matters during the next month, but none of those are ENDA.
Posted in Congress, ENDA, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on July 14, 2010
While most people who are concerned about eliminating the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law are focused on a bill in Congress and a survey by the Pentagon, there is important action elsewhere—in a federal district court in Riverside, California.
Posted in Don't Ask Don't Tell, Federal Courts, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, News
By Lisa Keen on July 8, 2010
In an enormous victory for same-sex marriage, a federal judge in Boston Thursday, July 8, ruled—in two separate lawsuits—that a critical part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.
Posted in Federal Courts, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, News
By Lisa Keen on July 8, 2010
In an enormous victory for same-sex marriage, a federal judge in Boston today ruled, in two separate cases, that a critical part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.
Posted in Federal Courts, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, News
By Lisa Keen on June 30, 2010
Never before in the history of Supreme Court confirmation hearings have gay issues played such a prominent role.
Posted in Don't Ask Don't Tell, Federal Courts, Issues, Law, News, Nominees, U.S. Supreme Court
By Lisa Keen on June 29, 2010
One message Republicans tried to hammer away at this week, in an effort to derail Elena Kagan’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, must have struck many LGBT viewers of her confirmation hearing as deeply ironic.
Posted in Federal Courts, Law, News, Nominees, U.S. Supreme Court
By Dana Rudolph on June 29, 2010
The immediate replacement for U.S. Senator Robert Byrd will most likely be chosen by the governor, not by a special election—and that is good news for the chances of repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on June 16, 2010
There were so many people trying to get in to watch the final day of the landmark trial challenging California’s same-sex marriage ban, the court staff had to set up an additional overflow room for observers.
Posted in Federal Courts, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, News
By Lisa Keen on June 16, 2010
Conservative attorney Ted Olson relied heavily this morning on comparisons between the current ban on same-sex marriage and the ban that existed in the 1960’s on interracial marriage.
Posted in Federal Courts, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, News
By Lisa Keen on June 9, 2010
The federal judge presiding over the highly publicized Proposition 8 trial distributed to attorneys on both sides of the controversy a list of 39 questions he’d like them to address during closing arguments June 16. It’s the kind of list, said one veteran gay legal scholar, that promises his decision will likely be a “blockbuster in its scope.”
Posted in A Closer Look, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, U.S. Circuit Courts
By Lisa Keen on June 7, 2010
Republicans are reportedly scouring for filibuster votes against the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal and are expected to focus their efforts on winning over Democrats Jim Webb of Virginia and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on May 28, 2010
The U.S. House voted 234 to 194 Thursday night to approve a compromise amendment that many believe will—with some conditions—eventually lead to the end of the military’s policy of discharging gay servicemembers.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on May 27, 2010
For the second time in three weeks, a federal judge in Boston heard arguments in a lawsuit that asks the court to strike down a significant part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
Posted in Federal Courts, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, News
By Dana Rudolph on May 27, 2010
The full Senate on Friday, May 28 unanimously confirmed Laura Duffy as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, making her the second openly lesbian or gay U.S. attorney. Jenny Durkan, the first, was confirmed in September as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington.
Posted in Appointees, Issues, News, News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on May 27, 2010
The Murphy Amendment seeking repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy is slated to come up near the end of the House’s consideration this week of the annual defense authorization bill.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on May 26, 2010
A measure to repeal the 16-year-old federal law excluding openly gay people from the military started up the Congressional ladder this week—with a reluctant nod from the White House and a controversial rewrite.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on May 19, 2010
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reassured representatives of several LGBT organizations this week that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and a measure to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) will get votes this year.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, ENDA, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on May 14, 2010
Supporters of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) say they have the votes to pass the bill, they are just waiting for the Democratic leadership to call the bill to the floor. But the leadership has grown quiet.
Posted in Congress, ENDA, Issues, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on May 5, 2010
Wording is everything in politics. What is not said can sometimes be more important than what is said, and what is said can be subjected to a multitude of interpretations that transform a simple sentence into a powerful new expectation.
Such has been the case with this statement, made by President Barack Obama in January during his State of the Union speech: “This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country.”
He did not say that he and Congress would “repeal the law this year.” He said he would work with Congress on it this year.
Posted in A Closer Look, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics, White House
Movement to ban gay adoption: sacrificing the well-being of children