By not accepting review in a case, the Michigan Supreme Court has in effect allowed public employee partner benefits to remain in force, despite the decision by voters in 2004 to adopt a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and “similar unions.” Earlier this year, an intermediate appellate court ruled that state employee eligibility for [...]
The Supreme Court is treading cautiously toward the decision it must make about whether to grant review in cases raising three enormously important equal protection issues: the constitutionality of DoMA, Prop 8, and an Arizona law that withdrew partner benefits for government employees. The Justices are meeting in conference today, and any decisions on cert [...]
The word from on high this week is…Sit tight and stay tuned. Various gay-related cases are tee’d up for the Supreme Court to decide whether they will grant review and then resolve a series of extraordinarily important Equal Protection issues. But the first conference of the new term has now come and gone without any [...]
When the Ninth Circuit motions panel reinstated the injunction against enforcement of DADT in Log Cabin Republicans v. Panetta, it looked like the judiciary might end the policy before the DADT Repeal Act would. Now that the Justice Department has persuaded the same court to stay the injunction again (with the caveat that no investigations or discharge [...]
According to Defense Secretary Gates, training troops for the end of DADT and its related policies will begin "in a very few weeks." Gates told a press conference yesterday that he had a three-step plan to implement DADT repeal: Finalize changes in related regulations and policies, and get clearer definitions on benefits; Prepare training materials [...]
So, what's new from the last two weeks? First (I'll admit some bias here), the Senate confirmed Chai Feldblum as an EEOC Commissioner. How absurd did the debate get over Chai's nomination? You can choose whether to laugh or cry about this February exchange during a press briefing by White House Press Chief Robert Gibbs: Q [...]