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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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May 6, 2009 9:21 pm | By Stacey Gates
Maine Becomes Latest State to Make Gay Marriages Legal
Today, Maine became the latest state to affirm the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, joining Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, and Vermont when Gov. John Baldacci signed into law LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm…
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May 5, 2009 6:07 pm | By Drew Courtney
Does the Anti-Gay Movement in DC think that Congress should run the District?
As a supporter of marriage equality for all people, I'm thrilled at the almost-unanimous vote of the DC City Council to recognize marriages of same-sex couples performed elsewhere. As a supporter of marriage equality for all people and voting rights…
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May 4, 2009 2:10 pm | By Paul Gordon
Don’t Believe the Right’s Propaganda on the Supreme Court
With everyone talking about the retirement of Justice David Souter, the Radical Right’s propaganda machine is set to max. Right Wing Watch is reporting on the Right’s reaction. One of the more laughable claims comes from Wendy Long of the…
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May 1, 2009 4:30 pm | By Stacey Gates
Justice Souter to Retire at the End of the Term
Ending months of speculation, several news outlets reported last night Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning to retire at the end of the term, after 19 years on the bench. People For the American Way released a statement expressing…
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April 30, 2009 4:45 pm | By Stacey Gates
Virginia Foxx Calls Matthew Shepard’s Murder a “Hoax”
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) claimed on the House Floor yesterday that Matthew Shepard, whom the Hate Crimes bill is named after, was killed "in the commitment of robbery," not because he was gay. Rep. Foxx went on to say, "the…
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April 29, 2009 10:09 pm | By Marge Baker
Good Questions for Jay Bybee
Noting the need to clarify a number of questions surrounding the legal advice provided by the Office of Legal Counsel under Jay Bybee’s leadership, Senator Patrick Leahy, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter today to Bybee inviting…
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April 29, 2009 9:39 pm | By Stacey Gates
Rep. Bobby Scott Shouts Out AAMIA on the House Floor
During floor debate on the Hate Crimes House Bill, Rep. Bobby Scott entered into the record the good work of our African American Ministers in Action. He held up our letter in support of the Hate Crimes legislation, and our…
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April 29, 2009 8:25 pm | By Paul Gordon
Springtime of Marriage Equality
Spring 2009 continues to be a historic season of equality. Earlier today, the New Hampshire Senate passed a marriage equality bill. The House passed the bill last month. However, because of a small amendment made by the Senate, the bill…
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April 29, 2009 7:50 pm | By Deborah Liu
NAMUDNO In the Supreme Court
This morning the Supreme Court heard oral argument in the case of Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Eric Holder, a case involving a small municipal district in Austin, Texas seeking to invalidate a key provision of the…
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April 28, 2009 9:40 pm | By Paul Gordon
Victory for the Rule of Law
Great news on the accountability front: Today, a unanimous three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals gave the thumbs-down to the blanket invocation of the pernicious "state secrets" doctrine. According to the San Francisco Chronicle: A federal appeals…
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April 27, 2009 11:14 pm | By Josh
Legal Scholars Speak out to Support Dawn Johnsen
People For the American Way co-hosted a press call on 4/27 concerning the nomination of Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel. We were joined by Walter Dellinger, Solicitor General and head of the Office of Legal Counsel under President…
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April 25, 2009 10:01 pm | By Paul Gordon
Maryland High School Says No to Hate
Protesters from the virulently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kanas - the "God Hates Fags" folks led by Fred Phelps - protested at Walt Whitman HIgh School in Bethesda, Maryland on Friday. Why? Well, for one thing, the school…
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April 24, 2009 2:48 pm | By Marge Baker
We couldn’t have said it better
Republicans are trying to paint OLC nominee Dawn Johnsen as "out of the mainstream." Rachel Maddow turned the tables on them last night in an interview with Salon's Dahlia Lithwick. Lithwick noted that Republicans are creating a storm — threatening…
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April 22, 2009 11:00 pm | By Marge Baker
Two Strikes Against Senator Inhofe
Senator Inhofe announced earlier this week that he would filibuster the nomination of David Hamilton for a seat on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. And on the Senate floor he elaborated—he said this was because, in a case involving…
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April 22, 2009 9:35 pm | By Drew Courtney
Does the National Organization for Marriage want to overthrow the government?
If the National Organization for Marriage was attempting to position itself as a respectable group, they’ve been having a rough time of it lately. First, they created the hilariously inept “Gathering Storm” ad which generated a blizzard of mockery. Now,…