justice

More than 310,000 people have signed a Change.org petition asking the Florida assistant state attorney to stop the prosecution of Kaitlyn Hunt, an 18-year-old former cheerleader facing felony child abuse charges after refusing to break up with her younger girlfriend, a classmate and fellow basketball player. LGBT Americans saw Hunt as the victim of a former lover’s homophobic parents.

As NoMoreDownLow.TV caught black celebrities commenting on the Trayvon Martin tragedy and hundreds of LGBT activists took to wearing hoodies in a show of solidarity, an unprecedented coalition of 23 of the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights organizations issued a joint open letter today about the Feb. 26 killing of the 17-year-old Florida teen — for which no arrests have been made — calling his death a "national call to action" and demanding that justice be served. The complete letter is below:

The Department of Justice is asking the ninth circuit court of appeals to rule before the end of day Wednesday on a federal judge’s rejection of its request for a stay of her worldwide injunction on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Federal Judge Virginia Phillips rejected the Justice Department's motion for a stay Tuesday afternoon.

The Department of Justice will request a stay Thursday of a federal judge's injunction barring enforcement of "don't ask, don't tell," sources have confirmed to The Advocate. Sources said Justice Department attorneys are expected to file the request to U.S. district judge Virginia A. Phillips in Riverside, Calif., this afternoon. But Richard Socarides, a New York lawyer and former LGBT adviser to President Bill Clinton, said getting the stay on the suspension of discharges was not guaranteed and that if the court of appeals failed to grant it, the Justice Department would have to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Eight million more women than men voted for Obama for president.  And one of the reasons we did was because of his purported position on reproductive justice issues like abortion and emergency contraception (EC). But with the stroke of 20 pens that is just what President Obama did, when he signed into law on March 23, the long awaited  "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590)" by pandering to pro-life Democrats.

Will the Supreme Court finally hear a case that could resolve marriage equality nationwide? Some court-watchers say Justice Stephen Breyer's remarks this weekend indicate that possibility.

This marks the first time Sotomayor has presided over a same-sex wedding.

The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it will not defend section three of the 15-year-old Defense of Marriage Act in federal court after a directive from President Barack Obama. Two lawsuits, Pedersen v. OPM and Windsor v. United States, challenge section three of the law passed in 1996. U.S. attorney general Eric Holder said in a statement that the decision to stop defending DOMA in these and other cases hinged on Obama's recent decision that the law is unconstitutional.

Less than 24 hours after a federal judge refused to block an injunction against "don't ask, don't tell," the U.S. court of appeals for the ninth circuit has done so — at least temporarily. It's unclear whether the ruling by ninth circuit judges Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain, Stephen S. Trott, and William A. Fletcher was a unanimous one or a split decision. The panel ruled that attorneys representing the Log Cabin Republicans may file an opposition to its stay of the injunction by Monday. Last week Judge Virginia Phillips ruled to allow lesbian and gay servicemembers to serve openly.

The Department of Justice is expected to appeal a ruling from a federal judge in California barring the enforcement of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. “The Obama administration, which is seeking a repeal of the law, nevertheless is expected to appeal a ruling by a California federal judge who declared the policy unconstitutional. The administration is also expected to seek a stay of the judge's injunction Tuesday ordering the military to immediately stop enforcing the ban worldwide.”

Monica Marquez will be the first lesbian and the first Latina to sit on the Colorado supreme court, Gov. Bill Ritter announced Wednesday. Marquez, 41, is currently the deputy Colorado attorney general. She is not the first legal pioneer in her family. Her father was the first Latino judge appointed to the Colorado court of appeals.