The Supreme Court of the United States has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in a 5 to 4 decision. Justice Kennedy sided with the more liberal members of the court which will force the federal government to recognize same sex marriages in the twelve states that offer them. In another ruling, the court has…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court struck down a central part of the Voting Rights Act, invalidating crucial protections passed by Congress in 1965 and renewed four times in the decades since. The sharply divided decision will significantly reduce the federal government’s role in overseeing voting laws in areas with a history of discrimination…
Heart2Soul.com, the independent website for perspectives on death and grieving, addresses end-of-life challenges facing same-sex couples in “LGBT Issues in the Death of a Partner or Spouse” for National LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Pride Month. As the debate over marriage equality continues, an emotional and legally intricate facet of same-sex relationships is often…
WASHINGTON – With no federal law protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people from discrimination in securing credit, thousands of Americans face unfair challenges in buying a home, going to college, or starting a small business. To ensure all qualified people have access to the financial credit necessary to build a productive life, Sen….
(CNN) — Four weeks. Four major legal rulings. What the Supreme Court decides by the end of June could fundamentally change lives and legacies on a range of politically explosive issues. The justices will meet in at least five public sessions to release opinions in its remaining 30 cases, among them some the most strongly-contested…
(CNN) — Franklin Graham, one of the country’s most prominent evangelicals, says the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service included two of his ministries. “I am bringing this to your attention because I believe that someone in the administration was targeting and attempting to intimidate us,” Graham wrote in a letter Tuesday…
The Senate Judiciary Committee begins consideration of the Gang of 8’s Immigration Reform Bill today. C-SPAN’s coverage should be must-see-TV for an audience of one: Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Among the potentially contentious issues facing the committee is the inclusion of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA). Under current law, special immigration provisions available…
NEW YORK, — Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) today released Health Equity and LGBT Elders of Color, a new report that examines health disparities faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older people of color, and offers policy solutions in 10 areas to address these challenges. The report’s release coincides with National Minority…
(CNN) — Olympia Snowe, who after serving three terms in the U.S. Senate did not seek re-election last year, said in an interview Friday that as public opinion has shifted on same-sex marriage, so have her views. “I think obviously this has evolved over time on the whole issue for the whole country and the…
(CNN) — The ranks of Senate Democrats who back same-sex marriage grew Friday morning by two as Indiana’s Joe Donnelly and North Dakota’s Heidi Heitkamp came out publically in support of overturning a federal law banning marriages between men and women. “With the recent Supreme Court arguments and accompanying public discussion of same-sex marriage, I…
