Category Archives: Federal Courts

Virginia attorney general won’t defend marriage ban in court

The attorney general of Virginia announced this morning that his office will no longer defend the constitutionality of the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Prisoner with GID has right to accepted medical treatment, says fed appeals court

A federal appeals court Friday affirmed a district judge’s order that a state prison violated the constitutional rights of a prisoner with severe gender disorder when it refused to provide sex reassignment surgery.

Oklahoma ban ‘insulting’ to same-sex couples, says federal judge

In yet another stunning victory for marriage equality, a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled Tuesday that the state’s ban on same-sex couples obtaining marriage licenses is unconstitutional.

Utah AG says state may not recognize 1,300 marriages of same-sex couples

The Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying that he was “unable to reach a legal conclusion as to the ultimate validity of marriage between persons of the same sex who completed their marriage ceremony in

Utah ban back in force for at least three months or more on appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court order granting a stay of the December 20 district court order that prohibited Utah from enforcing its ban on same-sex marriage allows Utah to resume enforcing the ban “pending final disposition” of the appeal of that

Opposition brief due today on Utah request for stay of marriage decision

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor gave attorneys representing same-sex couples in Utah until noon today to file a brief in opposition to Utah's request for a stay of a federal district court decision that struck down the state's ban

Fallout over Supreme Court decision: New Jersey, other states court fights intensify

After the fireworks surrounding its landmark rulings on two cases involving same-sex marriage, the U.S. Supreme Court quietly dispensed with nine other DOMA-related petitions last week, denying their requests for review.

SUPREME VICTORY: Stunning victories: DOMA, Prop 8 struck

In a stunning double victory, the U.S. Supreme Court today issued decisions that strike down both Proposition 8 and the key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Political jousting over DOMA standing, but legal activists encouraged

Today’s argument in the U.S. Supreme Court over the Defense of Marriage Act sounded at times as if President Obama was on trial for enforcing the law even though he considers it unconstitutional. At other times, it sounded like Congress

Prop 8 arguments roller coaster on standing and merits of marriage ban

The U.S. Supreme Court took the marriage equality issue on a roller coaster ride Tuesday as it heard almost 90 minutes of argument in the case testing the constitutionality of California’s ban on same-sex marriage.