Category Archives: Trump administration

Supreme Court: First Amendment issues in the spotlight

The Trump administration defended its efforts to bolster religious belief exemptions and curtail other First Amendment considerations in two cases before the Supreme Court this week.

Trump names gay man to cabinet-level post, storm brews

President Trump announced on Twitter Wednesday evening that he is appointing longtime Republican gay activist Richard Grenell to serve as the nation's highest ranking intelligence official, but there were hints the appointment might not last more than a few weeks.

State of the Union: polarizing or forward thinking?

Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg called President Trump's State of the Union address "highly polarizing" and said it included "some disturbing efforts...to further divide the American people." Log Cabin spokesman Charles Moran saw it as "forward thinking."

Senate confirms gay man for 9th Circuit

The U.S. Senate, on a strictly partisan vote, confirmed openly gay prosecutor Patrick Bumatay to serve on the nation's largest federal appeals bench.

HHS rule: ‘quintessentially arbitrary and capricious’

A federal judge in New York on Wednesday struck "in full" a rule adopted by the Trump administration in May that would have given wide latitude to health care workers to refuse treatment based on "religious and moral beliefs."

HHS reverses ‘critical protections’ in health care

The Trump administration announced November 1 that it will immediately stop enforcing non-discrimination protections for LGBT people in health care and seek a change in regulations to formalize that policy.

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.

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

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.