Category Archives: Federal Courts

Kagan: ‘vigorously defended’ DADT

Never before in the history of Supreme Court confirmation hearings have gay issues played such a prominent role.

Kagan acknowledges she’s “generally progressive”

One message Republicans tried to hammer away at this week, in an effort to derail Elena Kagan’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, must have struck many LGBT viewers of her confirmation hearing as deeply ironic.

Another Supreme Court victory, amidst ideological hostilities

For the second time in a week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion that delivered a small, indirect, and perhaps unfinished victory to policies that have benefited the LGBT community.

Could victory in court mean loss in public support?

An informal survey by the Washington Post published June 18 asked a tiny number of well-placed experts—six—to say what they think will happen if federal Judge Vaughn Walker overturns California’s ban on same-sex marriage. Two of the six pointed to

Marriage equality opponents vow rematch over public disclosure case

In a ruling hailed by gay activists, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law that requires public disclosure of the names of people who signed a petition to put an anti-gay referendum on the ballot in Washington State. But litigation

Supreme Court upholds disclosure of petitioners’ names

The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld a law that requires public disclosure of the names of people who signed a petition to put an anti-gay referendum on the ballot in Washington State.

Kagan — Gays are constituency, not priority

It’s been clear since Elena Kagan was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court that her confirmation hearing would be unusually focused on things gay. First, there were the complaints that she barred military recruiters from Harvard Law School while she was

Prop 8 closing: Fear v. Equality

There were so many people trying to get in to watch the final day of the landmark trial challenging California’s same-sex marriage ban, the court staff had to set up an additional overflow room for observers.

Mid-day report: Prop 8 trial closing arguments

Conservative attorney Ted Olson relied heavily this morning on comparisons between the current ban on same-sex marriage and the ban that existed in the 1960’s on interracial marriage.

Judge’s Prop 8 questions portend ‘blockbuster’

The federal judge presiding over the highly publicized Proposition 8 trial distributed to attorneys on both sides of the controversy a list of 39 questions he’d like them to address during closing arguments June 16. It’s the kind of list,