Today, Utah U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby ruled that the state’s ban on marriage equality is unconstitutional. In a 53-page decision, the court found that Utah’s marriage ban denies loving, committed lesbian and gay couples their “fundamental right to marry,” and that the ban lacks any “rational basis.” “This has been a banner year for marriage…
A federal suit was filed today in Philadelphia to declare unconstitutional the Pennsylvania statute that bans recognition of same-sex marriage legally entered into states that authorize same-sex marriages. The suit raises important constitutional questions that the courts have not addressed, including the impact of full faith and credit clause, which requires states to respect judgment,…
A lot can happen in a decade. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and to dismiss the appeal of Proposition 8 came 10 years to the day after its Lawrence v. Texas decision. June 25, 2003, you could be arrested for intimate acts with your same-sex…
(CNN) — A transsexual woman has won on appeal the right to marry her boyfriend, a decision poised to rewrite Hong Kong’s marriage law. The appellant — known only by the initial “W” — is a post-operative male-to-female transsexual who was refused the right to marry because she did not quality as a “woman” under…
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana entered an order granting the joint motion of the United States and the city of New Orleans to enter the consent decree regarding the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). This order is a critical milestone in reforming the long-troubled NOPD and is an…
Mexico’s Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling Wednesday afternoon that paves the way to universal marriage rights in the country. The court ruled on behalf of three same-sex couple seeking to marry in the southern state of Oaxaca and struck down an Oaxaca state law that declares that “one of the purposes of marriage is…
The Supreme Court released its list today of cases they will take up this session and none of the DOMA cases nor the federal Prop. 8 case is on the list. The American Foundation for Equal Rights writes: Today, the U.S. Supreme Court released the first list of cases it will hear this Term and…
WASHINGTON (CNN) – The divisive issue of same-sex marriage was expected to be discussed privately by the Supreme Court Monday, and the justices could soon announce if they will hear a constitutional challenge to a federal law denying financial benefits to gay and lesbian couples. An order from the court announcing whether they will take…
WASHINGTON – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Jerrold Nadler and 143 other House Democrats have filed an Amicus Brief in the case of Edith Schlain Windsor v. United States of America. Edith “Edie” Windsor, 83, a constituent of Rep. Nadler’s in New York City, challenged DOMA in court after the federal government taxed her more…
A judge’s decision Wednesday played in the favor of five same-sex couples who will not face deportation despite the ongoing battle arising from the Defense of Marriage Act – a discriminatory policy that has prevented all five couples from petitioning for the foreign-born partner citizen relief program. Petitioners in the lawsuit were granted the right…
