Category Archives: Federal Courts

Religious bias cases at high court

The battle lines between the constitutional right to free exercise of religion and laws prohibiting discrimination are seeing some action at the U.S. Supreme Court these days.

Karen Golinski: Marriage equality’s inadvertent champion

Karen Golinski never meant to become one of the headline names in the fight to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). All she wanted to do was to secure health care coverage for her legal spouse.

SLDN challenges use of DOMA against gay service members

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Fund filed suit in a federal district court Thursday (October 27) challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act and its use in denying to gay service members spousal benefits equal to that given to their straight

Supreme worries: drawing the line on religious bias

The ACLU called it “one of the most important religious liberty cases in years” and said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the matter would determine whether religious organizations have “the right to discriminate based on non-religious grounds.”

Supreme Court refuses couple’s plea

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday (October 11) refused to hear a case that challenged a sort of “back door discrimination” against a gay couple by a Louisiana state official.

Gay nominee politely labeled an ‘activist’ by GOP

A fourth openly gay nominee--one who has been fairly heavily involved in both gay and non-gay legal and political issues and who spent “hundreds of hours” doing pro bono work that led to the elimination of a gay ban on

Fed judge says Prop 8 videos should be released

On the same day a Broadway play is to premiere to highlight the transcripts from the landmark Proposition 8 trial, a federal judge has ordered release of videotapes of the trial.

GOP abandons ‘transparency’ vow; blocks videotape of DOMA proceeding

Remember last year’s Pledge to America from the Republican Party? It promised three times to make government “more transparent.” Well, apparently, that pledge had a hidden expiration date.

‘History could repeat itself’ on DADT, warns Log Cabin attorney

"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" will be off the books September 20. But there is still concern among some that the removal of that specific law barring gays from the military will not stop discrimination against gays in the military.

Judge ponders whether videotape of Prop 8 trial constitutes evidence

A federal district court judge in San Francisco Monday (August 29) heard vigorous arguments over a request to release for public viewing a videotape of last year’s historic trial on Proposition 8.