LGBTQ Legal Issues

Afternoon Briefs: Holder says Barr is unfit to be AG; law firm promotes nonbinary gender inclusiveness

Holder op-ed says AG Barr is unfit to be attorney general U.S. Attorney General William Barr has proved he is unfit to lead the Department of Justice, according to an op-ed by one of his predecessors in the Obama administration, Eric Holder Jr. Barr has been “running political interference for…

Dec 12, 2019 4:19 PM CST

Fight over right of women to enter strip club turns into battle over local anti-bias protections

Two women who sued after they were barred from a strip club have sparked a court battle over the viability of local human rights ordinances in the state of Florida.

Dec 11, 2019 12:48 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Judge who won’t perform same-sex marriages gets warning; hemp growers no longer seen as suspicious

Judge gets public warning after claiming religious exemption to performing same-sex weddings A Texas justice of the peace who refuses to perform same-sex weddings has received a public warning from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. The judge, Dianne Hensley, has said she is entitled to a religious exemption. When…

Dec 4, 2019 3:52 PM CST

State supreme court sides with Christian print shop who refused gay pride T-shirts

The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Christian print shop owner who refused to print gay pride T-shirts for religious reasons.

Nov 4, 2019 12:38 PM CST

Political unrest, violence have forced millions to migrate and seek protection of the rule of law

When countries lack the capacity to stop violence and corruption, and their legal and law enforcement systems lack the ability to hold perpetrators responsible, their people often have no other choice but to seek protection elsewhere.

Nov 1, 2019 4:10 AM CDT

When it comes to unconscious bias, are judges at risk?

If a business school was designing a case study of unconscious bias in the courtroom, a recent series of events in Massachusetts might offer the perfect scenario for analysis. The topic: how the defense of a protester responding to a “straight pride” parade resulted in the arrest and shackling of a female defense lawyer for speaking in court.

Oct 31, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Parents of Matthew Shepard use DOJ speech to criticize Barr’s stance on gender identity protections

The parents of Matthew Shepard, a college student murdered because he was gay, criticized the Justice Department’s stance on LGBTQ workplace protections on Wednesday in a speech delivered at an event commemorating a hate-crime law named after their son.

Oct 17, 2019 10:39 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: FBI probes slaying of US lawyer overseas; liberal group’s SCOTUS short list released

FBI to aid probe into slaying of US lawyer in Micronesia The FBI is aiding the investigation into the Monday shooting death of U.S. lawyer Rachelle Bergeron, who was acting attorney general of Yap State in the Pacific nation of Micronesia. A friend, Amos Collins, said he doesn’t know who…

Oct 16, 2019 4:11 PM CDT

Kavanaugh keeps observers guessing in arguments on protections for LGBTQ workers

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh provided little clue to his thinking on Title VII protections for LGBTQ people during U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments Tuesday, while Justice Neil M. Gorsuch asked some questions that appeared to favor both sides.

Oct 9, 2019 12:13 PM CDT

SCOTUS opens new term with criminal law cases addressing insanity defense and unanimous juries

The U.S. Supreme Court has several blockbuster cases in its new term—on gay and transgender rights, federal immigration enforcement and gun regulation. But before it gets to any of those, the court on the first day of the term will take up two criminal law cases raising significant questions, even though only a handful of states are affected by each.

Oct 3, 2019 5:03 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: Weighty matters load the Supreme Court’s next term

The U.S. Supreme Court justices return from their summer recess Monday to a calendar filled with potential blockbuster cases. Typically, about half the docket is set before the justices’ recess at the end of June, with the remaining cases taken between the beginning of October and the middle of January. But just based on what already is on the docket, this term could be filled with cases of great significance.

Oct 3, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Murder charge against 9-year-old tossed; judge bans mystery proceedings

Judge tosses murder charge against 9-year-old boy A murder defendant cried and hugged his father after Michigan Judge David Tomlinson tossed a murder charge against him Friday. The defendant was 9 years old. He was accused of fatally shooting his adoptive mother. Tomlinson found the boy incompetent to stand trial…

Sep 30, 2019 4:25 PM CDT

On the Emmys’ red carpet, Laverne Cox and her ACLU date discuss pending Supreme Court cases

Orange is the New Black actress and LGBTQ advocate Laverne Cox wanted to deliver a message to viewers watching the Emmy Awards on Sunday. Cox’s date was an ACLU staff attorney, and her clutch was a specially designed rainbow handbag bearing the message “Oct. 8, Title VII Supreme Court.”

Sep 23, 2019 11:13 AM CDT

Federal judge tosses suit by gay lawyer who says his co-counsel outed him to al-Qaida client

A federal judge in Chicago has ruled that a mitigation specialist who worked on the defense team for accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed can’t sue a co-counsel accused of outing him as a gay man to the client.

Sep 17, 2019 2:05 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Actress sentenced in college admissions scandal; judge sides with transgender Ohioans

Actress Felicity Huffman gets 14 days in prison for college admissions scandal Actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday to 14 days in prison for her involvement in the college admissions scandal. In May, Huffman pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay $15,000 to a fake charity to facilitate cheating when her…

Sep 13, 2019 4:51 PM CDT