Tag Archives: feds

Via press release: On March 28, Lt. Choi will defend himself in a rare criminal trial at the federal level for peaceful protest. The charges are “failure to obey a lawful order” by the US Park Police for protesting in front of the White House — a zone famous for free speech, assembly and petition for redress of grievance. Lt. …

Florida GOP Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll resigned today immediately after police questioned her regarding her involvement with a non-profit group that is being investigated in a federal racketeering probe. Carroll took office in 2010 as Tea Party hero Rick Scott’s running mate.  The group in question, Allied Veterans, runs dozens of internet cafes that apparently permit internet gambling. Officials from …

Over the objections of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (who is running for governor), yesterday a federal appeals court overturned Virginia’s ban on sodomy. The majority ruled that Virginia’s “Crimes Against Nature” anti-sodomy provision is unconstitutional in light of a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidating state laws that make sexual activity between consenting adults crimes. “It is shameful that Virginia …

The US Census will no longer ask citizens if they consider themselves to be “Negro.” The description has come to be viewed as outdated and even offensive by many people in the black community, officials say, so the bureau will reduce the options to “black” or “African-American.” The agency will include the new language next year in its annual American …

Earlier this month the Presidential Advisory Council On HIV/AIDS passed a resolution calling for the federal government to help states repeal HIV criminalization laws. (I missed this story when it first came out.)  Todd Heywood reports at American Independent: While the resolution is only advisory, it recommends that the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services issue guidance and …

The State Department has posted a travel advisory for LGBT people planning trips to foreign countries.  The notice opens with this: Attitudes and tolerance toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons vary from country to country, just as they vary among U.S. cities and states. Most LGBT travelers encounter no problems while overseas, but it helps to be prepared …

Openly gay Rep. Jared Polis today introduced a House bill that would decriminalize the possession of marijuana and allow states to collect taxes on legal sales. Polis said he expects his measure could draw bipartisan support from fellow Democrats and from Republicans, especially those with Libertarian leanings. “The more states lead the way, the more pressure it puts on Congress …

Starting in August, you won’t be getting mail on Saturdays. The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service plans to stop delivering mail on Saturdays starting Aug. 1, the agency is set to announce Wednesday. This means that for the first time Americans will receive mail only five days a week, a significant shift for the storied mail agency, which has suffered …

SCOTUSblog reports on the latest DOMA wrinkle: The Supreme Court does not have the power to rule on the case the Justices have agreed to review on the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, a Harvard law professor argued in a brief filed Thursday evening. The professor, Vicki C. Jackson, also argued against letting the Republican …

Father Kevin Wallin, formerly of the Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, has been busted by federal drug agents in Connecticut for his alleged role in a national crystal meth distribution ring. He went from pastor to pusher. A Connecticut priest was part of a cross-country drug ring that smuggled crystal meth from California into the well-heeled hamlets of Fairfield County, federal …

The executive director the Center for Constitutional Rights today explained some of the Scott Lively story for the readers of the Washington Post. The CCR will represent Sexual Minorities Uganda in their crimes against humanity suit against Lively, which begins Monday in a Massachusetts federal court. Many Americans have heard of the infamous “Kill the Gays” bill in Uganda, which …

A federal appeals court has ruled that the Boy Scouts can rent San Diego public property at a “nominal fee” despite their being an anti-gay religious organization. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the city’s practice of leasing valuable property to the Boy Scouts for nominal rent in exchange for the group’s commitment to …

The Sixth Federal Court of Appeals has upheld the firing of former University of Toledo human resources director Crystal Dixon, who was canned in 2008 after a local newspaper published her op-ed column in which she denounced LGBT rights and promoted the “ex-gay” movement. In a ruling handed down on Monday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals …

The federal government today released its jobs report for November and there’s some good news there. The economy added 146,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent, its lowest level since December 2008, the government said today in a report that was complicated by special factors of weather and politics. Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist for …

God, our nation is flooded with sin and debauchery. (Just quoting the Family Research Counsel, who will surely have conniptions about this.) More on today’s ceremony can be found here. (Tipped by JMG reader Ed)

Congress is once again considering doing away with the dollar bill, an issue that comes up and is promptly shot down every few years.  Yesterday the New York Daily News went directly to the people for their opinion. The proposal won a hearty endorsement Friday night from workers who handle bills as part of their daily grind. At Sapphire New …

The federal District Court of Nevada has denied a challenge made by eight gay couples to that state’s ban on same-sex marriage. In its opinion, the Court writes: This case arises out of the refusal of the State of Nevada to permit same-sex couples to enter into civil marriages, as well as its refusal to recognize same-sex marriages performed in …

In what they say is a first-ever event, today the CIA is holding a recruitment event in association with the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Steve Rothaus has the story at the Miami Herald: “This is the first one ever,” said Michael Barber, the CIA’s LGBT Community Outreach and Liaison program manager. “This is the first of what …

People For The American Way cheers the latest round of federal judgeship nominations issued by the White House: People For the American Way today commended President Obama for nominating three qualified Pennsylvanians to seats on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The three nominees, Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, Luis Felipe Restrepo, and Jeffrey L. Schmehl, continue …

The popular online gambling site Intrade has told Americans to close their accounts after U.S. regulators charged it with “facilitating bets on future economic data, the price of gold and even acts of war.” Hours after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a complaint in federal court, Intrade posted in its user forum and on its news page that it …