Category Archives: News

After delays, Senate confirms ‘trailblazer’ to bench

The U.S. Senate last week confirmed President Trump's first openly gay federal judge nominee. Reports are now circulating he may re-nominate a second openly gay nominee to the Ninth Circuit, despite opposition by California Senators Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein.

Justice Stevens: an early supporter on the Supreme Court

Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens was one of the first members of the nation's highest court to stand up for LGBT people, and he was proud of it. Stevens died at the age of 99 on July 16

Kennedy statement seems to drive religious refusal cases

The U.S. Supreme Court passed on its latest opportunity to decide whether a business can claim a religious exemption from a state law prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations, but such a case seems inevitable.

Federal appeals panel: trans ban is ‘military decision’

A federal appeals panel said courts must give due deference to the military in evaluating the Trump administration's ban on transgender service members, but there was enough in the ruling to give LGBT legal activists hope of eventually striking down

Another appeal on religious bias exemption coming

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon have another appeal before it, seeking a religious exemption to non-discrimination laws for businesses of public accommodation.

Supreme Court action flashes ray of hope for trans students

U.S. Supreme Court action Tuesday offered a ray of hope for transgender students.

HHS proposes second change to enable discrimination

A proposed rule change by the U.S. Health and Human Services would enable health care providers to deny service to patients based on their gender identity.

New HHS final rule: a wolf in sheep’s clothing

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted the Trump administration’s new rule allowing religious bias in health care as an “open license” to discriminate against LGBT people.

Appeals court: No exemption for religious views

A federal appeals panel in Philadelphia ruled Monday that a Catholic-run child placement agency's religious views do not entitle it to an exemption from the city's law prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination.

Supreme Court will review three Title VII cases

In what one legal activist termed an "aggressive" move, the U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it will review lower court decisions in three Title VII workplace discrimination cases --two that were resolved in favor of LGBT employees, one in favor