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January 20, 2010 8:16 pm | By Drew Courtney
Extra! Extra! 59 is more than 41!
In the wake of yesterday's extremely disappointing election in Massachusetts, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Democrats had somehow lost control of the Senate. In fact, the Democrats still have an 18 vote majority--an enormous power base in a…
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January 19, 2010 11:23 pm | By Drew Courtney
Justice Department Intervenes in LGBT Rights Case
Think Progress points out that the Department of Justice is intervening in an LGBT rights case for the first time in a decade. The case centers on an openly gay 14-year old student named Jacob in Mowhawk, New York* who…
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January 15, 2010 10:49 pm | By Stacey Gates
Rev. Byron Williams: Robertson Making his own Deal with the Devil
You know by now that less than 24 hours after a massive earthquake destroyed Haiti’s capitol city Port-au-Prince, Pat Robertson took to the airwaves to declare the nation cursed a result of a so-called “pact with the Devil.” In a…
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January 12, 2010 11:07 pm | By Drew Courtney
Specter Says He’ll Support Dawn Johnsen
In what can only be taken as good news for the rule of law, Senator Arlen Specter said today that he’ll support Dawn Johnsen’s nomination to head the Office of Legal Counsel. UPDATE (3:48 p.m.): A statement from Specter's office:…
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January 12, 2010 5:23 pm | By Deborah Liu
“Ministerial Exception” in Maryland Court
Today, Maryland’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, will hear oral argument in the case of Mary Linklater v. Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Its decision will address the application of the “ministerial exception” – a judicially recognized legal doctrine…
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January 11, 2010 9:00 pm | By Drew Courtney
Prop 8 Case Goes to Trial
Anyone interested in equal rights for all Americans might want to pay attention to the trial starting today in San Francisco. In the case, superstar lawyers David Boies and Ted Olson are arguing that Prop 8 violates the due process…
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January 7, 2010 12:20 am | By Marge Baker
The GOP and the Courts
If anyone had any doubt that the courts matter, check out this article in today’s Hill about Republicans and allied groups vowing to spend millions on legal challenges to healthcare reform and other parts of the Obama agenda. Health care,…
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January 5, 2010 5:47 pm | By Drew Courtney
Dawn Johnsen’s Year in Review
January 5th might not be circled in red on your calendar (unless, of course, you’re celebrating Twelfth Night) but for some of us it’s become a noteworthy, if not entirely happy, anniversary. One year ago today, then-President-elect Obama announced that…
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December 30, 2009 9:49 pm | By Marge Baker
Dawn Johnsen and the GOP Obstruction Game
As you may have seen reported, in a perfect exclamation point to the obstruction we've seen all year, when the Senate adjourned last week, the Republicans objected to what is ordinarily a routine request to waive Senate rules and permit…
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December 16, 2009 12:23 am | By Sergio
DC Victory for Marriage Equality
Yesterday, PFAW staff joined hundreds of DC residents at the Rally for Marriage Equality at the Kennedy Recreation Center in Washington, DC to support the DC Council’s vote on marriage equality. Several lead sponsors of the bill including Jim Ward,…
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December 16, 2009 12:19 am | By Marge Baker
Senator Leahy Decries Republican Obstruction on Nominees
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy lashed out today at the unprecedented obstruction of judicial and executive branch nominees by the Republican majority. There are currently 12 judicial and 15 executive branch nominees on the Senate Calendar that the Republicans are…
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December 14, 2009 11:41 pm | By Drew Courtney
Joe Lieberman Speaks Out Against Joe Lieberman
You might have read the recent news about Joe Lieberman’s efforts to block meaningful health care reform. It’s no longer surprising that Senator Lieberman is doing everything he can to slow down or stop reform, but it might be surprising…
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December 14, 2009 10:14 pm | By Drew Courtney
Annise Parker Elected Mayor of Houston
On Saturday, Annise Parker was elected mayor of Houston. This makes Houston, the fourth largest city in the country, the largest municipality in America to have elected an openly gay mayor.Of course, the right wing has never met an openly…
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December 10, 2009 7:22 pm | By Jen Herrick
Sotomayor takes progressive step forward, refers to “undocumented immigrant”
Senator Durbin once referred to America’s immigration crisis as a “crisis of humanity.” Yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor agreed when she referred to immigrants not as “illegal” or “alien” but as “undocumented.” Use of this humanizing term marks both…
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December 9, 2009 12:00 am | By Stacey Gates
The Pew and the Bench: A Faith Summit on the Federal Judiciary
Today, there was a panel at the Religious Action Center discussing the role of religious communities in debates over judicial nominees. Joi Orr, program assistant with People for the American Way’s African American Religious Affairs department spoke about the role…
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December 8, 2009 7:40 pm | By Drew Courtney
Supreme Court Takes Church-State Case
Yesterday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a case with important consequences for church-state separation.The group, the Christian Legal Society, says it welcomes all students to participate in its activities. But it does not allow…
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December 3, 2009 6:20 pm | By Stacey Gates
New GAO Report Exposes More About Politicization of Department of Justice Under Bush
With a new Government Accountability Office report on the activities of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice between 2001-2007, we are learning even more about a department that had been politicized to a dangerous degree under the…
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December 3, 2009 12:02 am | By Stacey Gates
Stop the ‘Stupak Attack’
Today, several hundred pro-choice activists from across the country descended on Capitol Hill to tell members of Congress, “Stop Stupak,” and oppose language in the health care reform bill which would cause millions of women to lose reproductive health care…
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November 24, 2009 4:10 pm | By Drew Courtney
Happy Birthday, Origin of Species!
In case you had somehow overlooked it, today is the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species,” the scientific landmark that reshaped the way we see the natural world—and which religious extremists rail about…
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November 23, 2009 5:02 pm | By Stacey Gates
Efforts to End DADT Stalled in Key Senate Committee
The Senate Armed Services Committee has confirmed that a scheduled November hearing on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) has been indefinitely postponed. The delay has been attributed to the pressures of Committee work on other issues, including…