Author Archives: Lisa Keen

Scalia: The reasonable and the absurd. Part 1: A tiny call for recusal despite a widespread presumption of bias

There was a tiny outcry in December for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to recuse himself from deliberating on the two marriage-related cases before the high court this session. It erupted mostly from liberal political bloggers after Associated Press

House GOP writes DOMA support into rules

The Republican leaders in the U.S. House started off the 2013-14 session giving unusual prominence to their legal defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). As part of

Funding cuts still loom for LGBT centers

LGBT service groups and others who depend on federal funding for a portion of their work can breathe a sigh of relief –for about two months. Congress sent President Obama a bill January 1 to satisfy part of its mandate

Frank: may get interim Senate vacancy

It’s just a rumor at this point, but it’s one that makes a lot of sense and one that could require a careful adjustment to the LGBT history books.

Potential DOD head apologizes to LGBTs

In a development illustrating one measure of the LGBT political lobby’s influence on the Obama administration, a Republican figure said to be a top-runner to become the next Secretary of Defense apologized for his remarks 14 years ago, casting aspersions

LGBT centers fear drastic impact if agreement not reached on ‘fiscal cliff’

Chances are, if you are even remotely plugged into the news, you’ve grown weary of hearing about the “fiscal cliff.” That’s the metaphor du jour for the sudden and dramatic cuts in federal spending and tax breaks set to occur

Supreme Court cases: Speculations swirl in media and behind-the-scenes

Court watchers and the mainstream media are having a field day with what the U.S. Supreme Court did and did not say about same-sex marriage cases during the past week–both raising and lowering expectations for a blockbuster LGBT legal victory

Court adds twist to announcement on Prop 8, DOMA cases

In a surprise development, the U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will review both the Proposition 8 case concerning a statewide ban on same-sex marriage and a DOMA case concerning a ban on federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

Obama nominating record number of openly gay federal judges

President Obama nominated Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro November 27 to a federal district court seat in Philadelphia, bringing to eight the number of openly gay people he has nominated for the federal bench. While Judge Quiñones declined to make any

Two-prong hit at ‘reparative therapy’

In a two-pronged attack against reparative therapy, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco) announced Wednesday, Nov. 28, the introduction of a resolution aimed at stopping its use on young gay people, and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a lawsuit