Category Archives: Federal Courts
After delays, Senate confirms ‘trailblazer’ to bench
The U.S. Senate last week confirmed President Trump's first openly gay federal judge nominee. Reports are now circulating he may re-nominate a second openly gay nominee to the Ninth Circuit, despite opposition by California Senators Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein.
Justice Stevens: an early supporter on the Supreme Court
Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens was one of the first members of the nation's highest court to stand up for LGBT people, and he was proud of it. Stevens died at the age of 99 on July 16
Kennedy statement seems to drive religious refusal cases
The U.S. Supreme Court passed on its latest opportunity to decide whether a business can claim a religious exemption from a state law prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations, but such a case seems inevitable.
Federal appeals panel: trans ban is ‘military decision’
A federal appeals panel said courts must give due deference to the military in evaluating the Trump administration's ban on transgender service members, but there was enough in the ruling to give LGBT legal activists hope of eventually striking down
Another appeal on religious bias exemption coming
The U.S. Supreme Court will soon have another appeal before it, seeking a religious exemption to non-discrimination laws for businesses of public accommodation.
Supreme Court action flashes ray of hope for trans students
U.S. Supreme Court action Tuesday offered a ray of hope for transgender students.
Appeals court: No exemption for religious views
A federal appeals panel in Philadelphia ruled Monday that a Catholic-run child placement agency's religious views do not entitle it to an exemption from the city's law prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination.
Supreme Court will review three Title VII cases
In what one legal activist termed an "aggressive" move, the U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it will review lower court decisions in three Title VII workplace discrimination cases --two that were resolved in favor of LGBT employees, one in favor
“Deeply disturbing message” in Supreme Court silence
The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear the appeal of a death row inmate whose attorneys gathered sworn statements from the man's jury that some jurors expressed anti-gay bias in deciding to give the man the death penalty.
Supreme Court declines B&B’s appeal for religious exemption
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to accept an appeal from a Honolulu bed-and-breakfast which sought the right to refuse to accommodate a same-sex couple by citing religious beliefs. Still another such public accommodation appeal is pending before the high court,
