The Supreme Court released Monday the schedule of oral arguments for the sitting that begins March 18, showing that the two cases on same-sex marriage will be heard Tuesday, March 26, and Wednesday, March 27 reports Lyle Denniston of Scotusblog. The case on California’s “Proposition 8″ will come first, followed by the case on the…
(CNN) — Jim Scales and William Tasker have been a couple for 35 years, but only on Tuesday were they able to legally marry, thanks to Maryland’s new same-sex marriage law, which went into effect with the new year. Maryland was among three states this past November where voters approved laws allowing same-sex marriages. At…
By Julian Zelizer Editor’s note: Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of “Jimmy Carter” and of the new book “Governing America.” (CNN) — 2012 has been a tumultuous year in American politics. With the presidential election capping off the year, Americans have witnessed a…
WASHINGTON (CNN) – A year ago, President Barack Obama was under fire. Today, he is being feted. In just 12 months, the 51-year-old lawyer and former U.S. senator raised by a single mother went from a beleaguered candidate for re-election — his record and signature health care law under daily attack by Republican rivals —…
Monday, a Brazilian state judge approved what the court described as the nation’s first gay marriage. Sao Paulo state Judge Fernando Henrique Pinto ruled two men could convert their civil union into a full marriage. According to Brazilian Law Blog: Brazil is about to see something that we only heard about from the United States:…
CHICAGO – The Illinois State Bar Association’s (ISBA) 203-member policy-making assembly has adopted a proposal rule governing recusal of judges in cases in which a party has made a campaign contribution to the judge. The ISBA will recommend the proposed rule to the Illinois Supreme Court as an amendment to the Illinois Code of Judicial…
A new survey from Gallup shows most Americans say gay and lesbian domestic partners or spouses should have inheritance rights and health insurance and other benefits. And a majority say gays and lesbians should be able to legally adopt children. Gallup reports that these findings are from a Nov. 26-29, 2012, USA Today/Gallup poll. Results…
Politically Aware BY JOEL TRAMBLEY Court predictions hew closely to the axiom “Those who know don’t talk, those who talk don’t know.” Having nothing but an MD to back my legal analysis, I fall firmly in the latter camp. But here we go. Of the various cases about the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on…
(CNN) – The wait is over for Pope Benedict XVI’s many Twitter followers, and they have been quick to respond to the much anticipated first Tweet from his personal account Wednesday morning. Using the handle @Pontifex — meaning “bridge builder” in Latin — he posted: “Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with…
(CNN) – As the nation’s top court prepares to tackle the contentious issue of same-sex marriage, one of its most conservative justices defended past writings linking bans on homosexual sodomy to bans on sex with animals and murder. Speaking at Princeton Monday, Associate Justice Antonin Scalia said his previous comments, made in multiple Supreme Court…
