Tag Archives: SCOTUS

Via the Associated Press: Kagan presided on Sunday over the wedding of former clerk Mitchell Reich and Patrick Pearsall in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said Monday that the same-sex ceremony was the first at which Kagan officiated. Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have previously officiated at the …

The Ethics & Religious Liberties Commission of the Southern Baptists Convention has issued the below slick five-minute video detailing all the ways that they are fighting against same-sex marriage, abortion rights, and the alleged persecution of Christians. Two weeks ago the group filed a SCOTUS brief in support of Utah’s ban on gay marriage.

Clip recap: A surprising reveal this week from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg about the court’s plans for taking up a marriage case — or maybe not taking up any. An Arkansas clerk breaks ranks with top state officials, declaring for the first time that the state’s marriage ban is unconstitutional. Plus: numerous states freeze their marriage lawsuits while …

“Oh, you didn’t hear much about the Louisiana decision? No surprise. Here’s what happened. U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman, following extensive briefing and argument, ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit the state of Louisiana from defining marriage solely as one man and one woman, nor refusing to recognize so-called same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. He found that the …

The Virginia House of Delegates yesterday approved a resolution co-sponsored by loony tunes Rep. Bob Marshall that authorizes the chamber to defend the state’s same-sex marriage ban with its own lawyers. Attorney General Mark Herring has refused to the defend the ban and Virginia is among the states due to have its ban reviewed by the Supreme Court at the …

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals today put Colorado’s marriage equality case on hold until the Supreme Court rules on the issue. This appeal is abated pending further order of this court. The deadline for the appellant’s opening brief will be established when the abatement of this appeal is lifted. The parties shall notify this court within 10 days of …

Earlier this week Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that until federal appeals courts disagree on same-sex marriage, there’s no need for SCOTUS to “rush” to hear one of the cases. Ginsburg then observed that an anti-gay ruling from the Sixth Circuit Court would likely speed the issue. Today the Liberty Counsel called on Ginsburg to recuse herself from …

Concerned Women for America have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage. According to the brief, gay Americans are far too politically powerful to deserve the heightened level of legal scrutiny that would support claims of marriage discrimination. Amicus agrees with both the Petitioners’ and Respondents’ view of this case: this …

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg today confirmed what many analysts have theorized when she said that marriage equality will likely not be heard in her court until federal appeals courts disagree on the issue. That hasn’t happened yet, but Ginsburg advised a Minnesota audience to therefore keep an eye on the Sixth Circuit. Via the Associated Press: Ginsburg said …

Gay means stay.

Via Hoosiers Unite: This stay was expected, and similar motions have been granted in other jurisdictions. What’s important is that our case is up for consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court at the end of this month, and we could know very soon whether the Justices will take up the issue of marriage equality in the coming term. We remain …

Clip recap: “The number of marriage cases before the Supreme Court keeps climbing, with the Court scheduled to decide which ones to take in just a few weeks. Plus, couples file new briefs in Texas, and appeal last week’s anti-gay ruling from a federal judge in Louisiana.”

From the editorial board of the Arizona Republic: Marriage equality can sound like a political cause. It’s been the subject of intense courtroom drama. But to Beverly Sevcik and Mary Baranovich, it’s personal. It’s about whether the Constitution protects their individual rights. That’s why it is welcome news that the U.S. Supreme Court may be preparing to bring down the …

Back in June, the Supreme Court rejected Liberty Counsel’s appeal of the Ninth Circuit Court ruling that upheld California’s ban on the “ex-gay” torture of LGBT youth. Yesterday the Third Circuit Court upheld New Jersey’s ban. But Liberty Counsel today claims to have a way to get back in front of SCOTUS. While the Third Circuit upheld the ban on …

Lyle Denniston writes at SCOTUSblog: It has taken only a little over a year for the same-sex marriage issue to return to the Court, with the focus solely on state bans, and lawyers on both sides of the controversy have been moving very rapidly to get the issue prepared for the Supreme Court after lower courts had expedited their review. …

Via the Wall Street Journal: Mark your calendars: the Supreme Court is scheduled to consider its next steps on gay marriage when the justices meet for the first time since their summer break. The court on Wednesday listed gay marriage petitions from five states – Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin – for consideration at its Sept. 29 private conference. …

Acting on behalf of a local woman, the Alabama-based Foundation For Moral Law has filed an amicus brief which urges the Supreme Court to overturn the Tenth Circuit’s strike down of Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage. According to the brief, the woman does not want her late son’s husband to be able to inherit her son’s estate. Foundation for Moral …

Lyle Denniston wrote yesterday at SCOTUSblog: With lawyers moving very rapidly, the number of appeals to the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage rose on Tuesday to seven, as state officials in Indiana and Wisconsin separately challenged a federal appeals court ruling against their bans, and lawyers for the couples planned to file immediate replies. The new cases landed at the …

Saying that his state’s ban on same-sex marriage does not target homosexuals, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller today asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Seventh Circuit Court’s ruling. “Less than six months after my office first entered our appearance in trial court to defend our state client from this lawsuit, our case now is knocking on the door of …

Eighty Utah state legislators have filed an amicus brief in which they warn the Supreme Court that upholding the Tenth Circuit’s ruling on same-sex marriage will lead to the legalization of polygamous and incestuous marriages. The Tenth Circuit did not adequately consider the consequences of its decision for Utah’s prohibitions of polygamous and incestuous marriages. If the choice of marriage …