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via David Ariosio, CNN A federal appeals court in New York on Thursday became the nation’s second to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, finding that the Clinton-era law’s denial of federal benefits to married same-sex couples is unconstitutional. The divisive act, which was passed in 1996, bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages and … Continue reading
via Philip Elliot and Alan Fram, The Huffington Post Republicans emphatically approved a toughly worded party platform at their national convention Tuesday that would ban all abortions and gay marriages, reshape Medicare into a voucher-like program and cut taxes to energize the economy and create jobs. The document opens by warning that while the American … Continue reading
via Michael Felberbaum, ABC News A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a decision barring the federal government from requiring tobacco companies to put large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages to show that smoking can disfigure and even kill people. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington affirmed a lower … Continue reading
via Leigh Ann Caldwell, CBS News The House of Representatives voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress Thursday for failing to provide documents relating to the Fast and Furious gunwalking program. The first vote, 255-67, charged Holder with criminal contempt of Congress but is likely not to go anywhere as the … Continue reading
via David Jackson, USA Today Barring a last-minute deal on documents, leaders of the Republican-run House expect to vote this afternoon on a contempt of Congress citation for Attorney General Eric Holder. Democrats and the White House call it all politics, while House members criticize Holder for declining to release documents related to the botched … Continue reading
via Jess Bravin and Miriam Jordan, The Wall Street Journal The Supreme Court upheld a key part of Arizona’s tough-immigration law but struck down others as intrusions on federal sovereignty, in a ruling that gave both sides something to cheer in advance of November elections where immigration is a major issue. The court backed a … Continue reading
via Ruth Marcus, The Washington Post President Obama is walking a tightrope on same-sex marriage, teetering between his stated view that marriage is the province of the states and his legal position that refusal to recognize same-sex marriage can violate the Constitution. In his interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts, the president emphasized the traditional state … Continue reading
via Dave Jamieson, The Huffington Post In a victory for privacy hawks and worker advocates, Maryland legislators passed a bill Wednesday that would ban employers from asking job candidates or current employees for their passwords to social-media sites like Facebook and Twitter. If the bill is signed by Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and becomes law, … Continue reading
via Kim Severson, The New York Times Fed by antagonism toward President Obama, resentment toward changing racial demographics and the economic rift between rich and poor, the number of so-called hate groups and antigovernment organizations in the nation has continued to grow, according to a report released Wednesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The … Continue reading
via Editorial Staff, The New York Times Even in the ultrapolarized atmosphere of Capitol Hill, it should be possible to secure broad bipartisan agreement on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, the 1994 law at the center of the nation’s efforts to combat domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. The law’s renewal has strong backing … Continue reading
via Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune Show of hands: How many of you tried to go to Wikipedia on Wednesday and, instead of reading “List of Gilmore Girls Episodes,” were puzzled by the black and white screen that said “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge”? Every English-language article was blocked, the frivolous ones and the serious … Continue reading
via Sari Horwitz and Cecilia Kang, The Washington Post One of the world’s largest file-sharing sites was shut down Thursday, and its founder and several company executives were charged with violating piracy laws, federal prosecutors said. An indictment accuses Megaupload.com of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and … Continue reading
via Laura Meckler, Washington Wire The mayors of several big cities, including Chicago, New York, Boston and Los Angeles, are joining together to support same-sex marriage rights, a move that could put additional pressure on President Barack Obama to do the same. The effort is being organized by Freedom to Marry, an advocacy group that … Continue reading
via Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune In a case involving a teacher fired by an Evangelical Lutheran school in Michigan, President Obama’s Justice Department climbed way out on a limb in arguing that the teacher could sue for the loss of her job. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court took a sharp saw to that branch. It’s … Continue reading
via Los Angeles Times Important as it was, the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” did not put gay and lesbian service members on an equal footing with their straight counterparts. A poignant story by Times staff writer Phil Willon described how partners of gay service members are still denied benefits available to other couples, including marriage … Continue reading
via Brian Lyman, The Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, USA TODAY The Justice Department asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday to block Alabama’s strict new immigration law, saying it creates discrimination and drives aliens from the state through procedures outside those established in federal law. In a filing with the Atlanta-based court, the department … Continue reading
via Josh Lederman, The Hill House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) threatened Friday to withhold funding from the Justice Department unless it agrees to defend a ban on government-recognized same-sex marriages. “We’re going to take the money away from the Justice Department, who’s supposed to enforce it, and we’ll use it to enforce the law,” Boehner … Continue reading
via Felicia Sonmez, The Washington Post Five months after House Republicans announced that they had set a $500,000 salary cap for the lawyer hired to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, a revised contract shows that the pay limit has been lifted to three times that amount. According to a new contract dated Sept. 30, … Continue reading
The Obama administration Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to settle the constitutional question over the 2010 health-care law this term, meaning that the decision will probably come next summer in the thick of the presidential campaign. The Justice Department asked the justices to review the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th … Continue reading
The Brandt Standard 