Saying the votes are there, Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) called for a special session next month to allow lawmakers to act on legislation that would make the Aloha State the 14th to legalize same-sex marriage. The session has been scheduled for Oct. 28. "The decision to call a special session...
FALLIN BLOCKS SAME-SEX BENEFITS FOR GUARD: Saying she was honoring the wishes of Sooner State voters, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) has ordered her state's National Guard units to stop processing requests for military benefits for same-sex couples. The directive comes after the Guard had previously...
SKIRMISHES IN STATES OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: Last week was a busy one for same-sex marriage, with significant developments on the issue in multiple states. Some of the biggest news came out of Nevada, where Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto (D) and Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) announced the state was...
BREWER VETOES ANTI-GAY BILL, MORE LOOM ACROSS STATES: Amidst much hue and cry last week, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) vetoed SB 1062, the highly controversial measure that would have allowed businesses to legally cite their religious beliefs as reason to refuse services to gay, bisexual and transgender...
On May 20, 2014, a federal judge in the case of Whitewood v. Wolf struck down both Pennsylvania's ban on marriage for same-sex couples and its prohibition against recognition of same-sex marriages legally entered into in other jurisdictions, [ enhanced version available to lexis.com subscribers ...
Last month, as a result of the decision of United States District Court Judge John E. Jones III in Whitewood v. Wolf , 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 68771 (M.D. Pa. May 20, 2014), [ enhanced version available to lexis.com subscribers ], the State of Pennsylvania became the 19th state to recognize same-sex marriage...
In a decision handed down on May 20th, Federal District Judge John E. Jones III struck down Pennsylvania's ban on same-sex marriage, concluding that "all couples deserve equal dignity in the realm of civil marriage." Whitewood v. Wolf , No. 1:13-CV-1861, 2014 U.S. Dist. Lexis 68771, at...
By Eric G. Pearson What do cases involving challenges to same-sex-marriage and voter ID laws have in common? The answer, according to a per curiam opinion issued last week by a panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Frank v. Walker , Nos. 14-2058 & 14-2059...