LGBTQ Legal Issues

Afternoon Briefs: KKK courthouse mural still on display; George Floyd’s family sues

Group calls for removal of courthouse mural with KKK figures The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is calling for removal of a courthouse mural that includes three Ku Klux Klan members riding on horseback in their white robes. The mural in the Baker County Courthouse was intended to illustrate…

Jul 15, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: Gorsuch wrote his ‘most important opinion’ in SCOTUS ruling protecting LGBTQ workers

There are many important implications to the U.S. Supreme Court’s stunning decision June 15. “It certainly is the most important opinion” written by Justice Neil M. Gorsuch since coming on to the court three years ago, writes law dean Erwin Chemerinsky.

Jul 1, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Justices have a lot to say, but all is quiet in the Supreme Court

In a normal June, the U.S. Supreme Court issues the last of the term’s opinions, many of which are in its most contentious and divided cases. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once referred to people coming to the courtroom to “watch the show.” But the show has not gone on during the time of quarantine.

Jun 25, 2020 9:22 AM CDT

5 years after landmark gay marriage ruling by SCOTUS, lawyer in the case says it’s ‘gone swimmingly well’

“For the most part, states and employers are doing the right thing,” says Mary Bonauto, who argued Obergefell v. Hodges before the U.S. Supreme Court. But she says there are still some attempts to “shrink marriage.”

Jun 24, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Prosecutor says Trump ally got break; lawyers’ extortion plea

Prosecutor to testify that Trump ally was treated better A prosecutor who resigned in the Roger Stone case plans to tell Congress on Wednesday that his supervisors told him that Stone was given favorable treatment because he was an ally of President Donald Trump. The prosecutor, Aaron Zelinsky, says he…

Jun 23, 2020 4:44 PM CDT

In Gorsuch opinion, SCOTUS rules gay and transgender workers are protected by Title VII

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the ban on sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects gay and transgender workers.

Jun 15, 2020 9:19 AM CDT

Groups plan lawsuit after Trump administration reverses transgender health care protections

Three groups say they have planned lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s reversal of protections for transgender patients in regulations interpreting the Affordable Care Act.

Jun 15, 2020 9:16 AM CDT

Supreme Court declines to block sex reassignment surgery for transgender inmate

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Thursday night to stay court-ordered sex reassignment surgery for a transgender inmate.

May 22, 2020 9:49 AM CDT

Transgender woman in pending SCOTUS case dies at 59

A transgender woman whose workplace bias case is before the U.S. Supreme Court died Tuesday at age 59.

May 13, 2020 12:25 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: 6th Circuit won’t delay inmate transfer; sheriff declines to enforce stay-at-home order

6th Circuit refuses to delay inmate transfer On Monday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati refused to delay the transfer of more than 800 medically vulnerable inmates amid a coronavirus outbreak at the Elkton Federal Prison in Columbiana County, Ohio. The prison has a dorm-style structure that…

May 5, 2020 4:05 PM CDT

Judge is sanctioned for rainbow flag and congratulatory Facebook posts

A judge in San Antonio, Texas, has received a private warning for displaying a rainbow flag in her courtroom and a public admonition for using Facebook to congratulate winning lawyers.

Apr 17, 2020 12:13 PM CDT

Lawyer who used gay slur to refer to judge should get stayed suspension, opinion says

A Colorado lawyer should receive a stayed suspension for referring to a judge as a "gay, fat, f- -" in an email to two clients, according to an opinion by the judge appointed to preside in discipline matters.

Mar 30, 2020 3:36 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: EPA relaxes pollution rules during COVID-19 crisis; Title IX doesn’t protect trans athletes, DOJ says

EPA relaxes pollution enforcement during coronavirus pandemic The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it would relax enforcement of environmental rules in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The EPA said companies should monitor themselves as the agency focuses on “situations that may create an acute risk or imminent threat to…

Mar 27, 2020 4:50 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Top Florida court hears case over ticket app; lawyer sentenced for involvement in prostitution

Florida Supreme Court to decide whether ticket app poses legal risk to customers After a yearslong dispute, the Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in the Florida Bar’s lawsuit against ticket-fighting startup TIKD. Attorneys complained to the Florida Bar that TIKD and its founder Christopher Riley were practicing law…

Mar 4, 2020 4:10 PM CST

Internal candidate is selected to lead the ABA’s legal ed section

William Adams, the deputy managing director of the ABA's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, will replace Barry Currier as the organization's managing director of accreditation and legal education, starting April 6. Currier announced in summer 2019 that he would be stepping down from the position.

Mar 3, 2020 10:45 AM CST