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01 Sep 2010 12:46

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U.S.: Texas and gay marriage: Maybe they’re just anti-rocking the boat?

  • sad If you’re a same-sex couple in the state of Texas, they won’t let you get married. You probably already assumed that.
  • odd If you’re a same-sex couple who’s already married, and you travel to the state of Texas, they won’t let you get a divorce. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Aug 2010 21:44

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Politics: Prop 8 trial: Could procedure prevent a landmark decision?

  • Judges are human beings. If there is an easy way out, most people will look for it. And this would be an easy way out for the judges.
  • George Washington University Law Professor Alan Morrison • Regarding the possibility that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and later the Supreme Court, could use a distinction known as “standing” to allow gay marriage in California but invalidate the right of the supporters to represent the case for the state of California. The reason why this would be appealing? It wouldn’t allow a broader decision on gay marriage throughout the country. It would be a partial victory for those who support gay rights, rather than the one they really want. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2010 20:09

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U.S.: Gay marriage will have to wait for anti-Prop. 8 Californians

  • what An appeals court blocked gay marriages from taking place after lower court judge Vaughn Walker said they could. So they’ll have to wait for now.
  • why The court appeared to agree with pro-Prop. 8 lawyer Charles Cooper’s take – that allowing them could cause  “irreparable harm” to the trial. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Aug 2010 05:43

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U.S.: We may get an early Supreme Court preview of the Prop 8 case

  • firstJudge Vaughn Walker decided that Wednesday would be the day he’d take the hold off of gay marriage in California.
  • thenThe supporters of Prop 8 decided to appeal the stay to the famously liberal U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • now The appeals court will decide by Monday, at which point it could go to Supreme Court Justice Antony Kennedy. source
  • » Why it’s a preview: Two reasons. First, Kennedy is the swing vote on the court, meaning what he decides could be an early harbinger of the full case. Second, Kennedy may ask for guidance from the court on where to go next. So, Prop 8 followers, we may find out soon whether or not gay marriage is likely to get legalized in the U.S.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Aug 2010 11:58

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Politics: And here’s a pretty depressing quote to add to the mix

  • The president does oppose same-sex marriage, but he supports equality for gay and lesbian couples, and benefits and other issues, and that has been effectuated in federal agencies under his control.
  • Top White House adviser David Axelrod • Saying – somewhat unbelievably – that Obama still opposes gay marriage. Wasn’t this supposed to be the president that was going to stand up for gay rights? What the hell kind of standing up is that? While Obama opposed Prop 8, according to Axelrod (because it was “mean-spirited”), that still doesn’t take back the fact that the president has provided lip service and little else to the gay rights movement. Yes, it’s a political football. Yes, it’ll be hard to deal with among certain bases. But how can he, at this point, not support gay marriage? Unbelievable. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 7 Comments • Permalink

04 Aug 2010 21:03

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Politics: Marriage ban overturned: Other key storylines in the Prop 8 case

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Aug 2010 20:33

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Politics: Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision tightly-written, well-considered

  • Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.
  • Judge Vaughn R. Walker • In his decision on same-sex marriage. To put it simply: Prop 8 made gay people second-class citizens. No mincing words. Walker says that the law violated the plaintiffs’ due process and equal protection rights, which overall locks up the ruling tightly. Of course it’s going to get appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, but it’s worth noting two things: First, Walker, who is gay, was assigned the case randomly. And second, lest you think he’s an activist judge, he’s actually a right-leaning George W. Bush appointee. Bush, as you might remember, was a hard-left liberal. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

04 Aug 2010 20:19

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Politics: Overturned: Twitter still super-excited over the Prop 8 decision



Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jul 2010 11:20

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World: Guess which South American country legalized gay marriage

  • Hint: It’s not Brazil. But the country does have millions of people, and its senate did just vote to allow gay marriage, a huge win for the gay-rights movement, although it was a little close and there was a lot of debate about the issue. The president backed the decision, too. And, unlike the U.S., a representative for one of the country’s major gay-rights groups can say this: “Nearly every political and social figure has spoken out in favour of marriage equality.” C’mon, take a guess. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jun 2010 10:00

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U.S.: Prop. 8 trial protip: You probably need to present evidence

  • At the end of the day, ‘I don’t know’ and ‘I don’t have to present any evidence,’ with all respect to Mr. Cooper, doesn’t cut it.
  • Lawyer Ted Olson • Arguing during the Proposition 8 trial yesterday against defense lawyer Charles Cooper, who used the phrase “you don’t have to have evidence” to prove that gay marriage is illegal. Now – we could be wrong here, but something tells us that’s a pretty crappy argument to make in any courtroom, in any case. The judge, by the way, was pretty tough with his questioning – on both sides of the coin. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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