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  • July 9, 2009 8:20 pm | By Drew Courtney

    Witness List for Sotomayor Hearing Announced

    Today, Senators Leahy and Sessions released the list of witnesses who will testify at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearings on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. We’re happy to see that Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel will be among those testifying.…

  • July 9, 2009 3:49 pm | By Paul Gordon

    Indefinite Detention: Wrong Under Bush, Wrong Under Obama

    For some people in Guantanamo Bay who are found not guilty in a court of law for whatever they are eventually put on trial for, the Obama Administration is floating the idea of keeping them in "indefinite detention" anyway. According…

  • July 2, 2009 7:55 pm | By Willard

    233 Years Old and Still Looking Good

    Birthdays are a good time to look back and take stock of the previous year’s events.  Usually a person tries to get a hold of the where they have been and where they want to go.  On July 4th, you…

  • June 29, 2009 10:08 pm | By Marge Baker

    Judicial Activism and Horne v. Flores

    Given all the recent talk from the Right about judicial activism, it was pretty amazing to see Justice Alito's contortions in Thursday's decision in Horne v. Flores that gave the Arizona School Superintendent one more shot at justifying what seems to…

  • June 26, 2009 5:45 pm | By Stacey Gates

    African American Ministers In Action Participate in Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Hate Crimes

    AAMIA Members Revs. Frank Dunn and Joseph Smith attended yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (S.909), where Committee Chair Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) acknowledged the work of AAMIA toward passage of…

  • June 25, 2009 3:28 pm | By Stacey Gates

    AAMIA Chair Rev. Timothy McDonald Turns Up the Heat at Healthcare For All Rally

    “You think its hot now, wait until we turn up the heat on [Congress] with our activism on health care reform.” - Rev. Timothy McDonald, Pastor of First Iconium BaptistChurch in Atlanta. Rev. Timothy McDonald, chair of our African American…

  • June 24, 2009 2:51 pm | By Stacey Gates

    Broad Coalition Calls for Mormon Church to End Anti-Gay Policies

    A broad group of current and former Mormons, non-Mormoms, gays, and heterosexuals united to call on leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to end their anti-gay policies and their involvement with anti-gay politics (California’s Prop. 8)…

  • June 19, 2009 6:39 pm | By Stacey Gates

    President Obama, Census Bureau Looking at Ways to Recognize Same-Sex Marriages in 2010 Census

    Pres. Obama and the White House are now looking at ways to include same-sex marriages, unions and partnerships in 2010 Census data – another small step of what we hope will be a larger agenda toward equal justice under the…

  • June 18, 2009 7:20 pm | By Willard

    Obama Takes Small Step for LGBT Equality When He Promised a Leap

    Since taking office, the American people have seen a flurry of activity from the Obama administration, ranging from increased diplomatic efforts abroad to fixing the economic crisis at home. There is one area, however, where we’ve seen far too little…

  • June 18, 2009 6:44 pm | By Stacey Gates

    Bishop Harry Jackson Challenges DC Board’s Decision to Forego Same-Sex Marriage Referendum

    Not that this comes as a surprise to anyone, but Bishop Harry Jackson and other opponents of same-sex marriage have filed a lawsuit here in DC hoping to get a referendum on the ballot on whether to recognize same-sex marriages…

  • June 16, 2009 8:08 pm | By Willard

    Fourteen Years Later, PFAW Continues to Denounce ‘Irresponsible Speech’ and Intolerance in Our Country

    It’s no mistake that freedom of speech is in the first Amendment to the Constitution.  It’s impossible to overstate its importance to our democratic system.  But respect for free speech doesn’t give us the right to turn a blind eye…

  • June 13, 2009 2:31 am | By Paul Gordon

    Despite Promise, Obama Defends DOMA

    Today, President Obama’s Justice Department, in a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the Defense of Marriage Act, argued that DOMA is constitutional. The Administration argues that DOMA “does not impinge upon rights that have been recognized as fundamental.” I…

  • June 11, 2009 9:46 pm | By Willard

    James von Brunn Finds Inspiration from the Work of Other White-Supremacists

    James von Brunn, the 88 year old man who opened deadly gun fire on D.C.’s Holocaust Museum yesterday, was a member of multiple anti-Semitic groups. During his time living in Hayden, Idaho, von Brunn became a member of Aryan Nations,…

  • June 9, 2009 6:05 pm | By Willard

    Sotomayor Hearings to Begin July 13th

    Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) announced today that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor will begin her confirmation hearings on July 13th. People for the American Way President Michael B. Keegan released the following statement on the announcement: "Today's announcement is a clear…

  • June 5, 2009 2:45 pm | By Stacey Gates

    PFAWF’s Sharon Lettman on Rev. Byron Williams Radio Show Today at 1 PM

    People For the American Way Foundation’s Sharon Lettman will be on Rev. Byron Williams’ Radio Show on Blogtalkradio.com to discuss the African American Ministers Leadership Council and the work the organization does around civic participation, economic justice, equal justice, health…

  • June 4, 2009 4:14 pm | By Willard

    New Hampshire Joins the Fight for Marriage Equality

    As you may know, Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire signed a marriage equality bill into law yesterday. Previously, Gov. Lynch had supported civil unions, but not not same-sex marriage. In a statement released yesterday, the governor made clear that…

  • June 3, 2009 9:06 pm | By Willard

    Wendy Long May Have More in Common with Sotomayor Than She Thought

    If you’ve been following the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, the term “reverse-racist” has undoubtedly appeared in a story you’ve read. Rush Limbaugh branded Sotomayor a ‘reverse-racist’ on his radio show, while Newt Gingrich labeled her a…

  • May 27, 2009 4:26 pm | By Drew Courtney

    Confirm Sonia Sotomayor

    You may have heard that President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the retirement of David Souter. Sotomayor is a superb choice, and we're working with our allies to help introduce her to…

  • May 15, 2009 8:34 pm | By Paul Gordon

    Empathy as the Enemy

    Taking a cue from Karl Rove’s playbook, the Right is trying to transform one of the key strengths of a top-quality jurist – empathy – into a serious flaw. For example, earlier today, Michael Steele told an audience that "the…

  • May 15, 2009 4:14 pm | By Paul Gordon

    Proposition 8: Open Season on Minorities?

    We’re all waiting to see how the California Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of Proposition 8. Equality advocates argue that stripping lesbian and gay people of the right to marry was what California law calls a revision: a constitutional…