Tag Archives: SCOTUS

Next phases of redistricting lawsuit scheduled

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Part One takes place next week. The trial over 2011 House district boundaries begins July 14 in U.S. District Court, where a hearing Tuesday shed light on how the case could unfold. The proceeding are expected to last at least … Continue reading →

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Utah will take same sex marriage fight to SCOTUS

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This could be the ballgame. The Utah attorney general’s office announced Wednesday that it will appeal the 10th Circuit Court’s decision last month upholding same-sex marriage to the U.S. Supreme Court. Wednesday was the deadline for the state to seek … Continue reading →

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What do the Mayors want?

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Action on climate change. The U.S. Conference of Mayors, a bipartisan group that represents the leaders of 1,400 cities, each of which is home to at least 30,000 people, has called on the Obama administration and Congress to “enact an … Continue reading →

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Tenth Circuit upholds same-sex marriage

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A huge step forward. A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that states outlawing same-sex marriage are in violation of the U.S. Constitution. By upholding a Utah judge’s decision, the a three-member panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in … Continue reading →

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Another win for the EPA at the Supreme Court

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And thus another loss for Greg Abbott and Rick Perry. The Supreme Court on Monday mostly validated the Environmental Protection Agency’s plans to regulate power plant and factory emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming while imposing some limits … Continue reading →

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The money is the problem

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A story of interest from North Carolina. The ad first appeared on television the Friday before last, a black-and-white spot charging that Justice Robin Hudson coddled child molesters and “sided with the predators” in a North Carolina Supreme Court dissent. … Continue reading →

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Two wins against voter ID

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good news from Wisconsin. Trying to crack down on in-person voter fraud isn’t a strong enough justification for Wisconsin’s voter ID law, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, because voter impersonation virtually never occurs now and is unlikely to become a … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds CSAPR

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some very good news for people who like to breathe. The question was who should pay for air pollution that crosses state lines. The answer, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, is blowing in the wind. States in the Midwest and … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Senate map

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: [Monday] morning, two Texas voters filed a suit in federal court challenging the state senate map drawn by the Texas Legislature on the grounds that it violated the equal protection guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment by using … Continue reading →

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Planned Parenthood petitions Fifth Circuit for en banc review of HB2 ruling

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Today, Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas filed a petition on behalf of their patients to request that the full bench of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals consider the constitutionality of harmful abortion restrictions that were struck down … Continue reading →

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And the first open enrollment period comes to an end

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of people signed up in the last few days of enrollment. Some tried but came away empty. Some of the hundreds of Houstonians who sought last-minute help enrolling for the Affordable Care Act on Sunday left thrilled to have … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit does its thing again

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There was never any doubt. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld the new abortion regulations that were passed in July by the Republican-led Texas Legislature. The plaintiffs, who represent the majority of abortion providers in Texas, including four … Continue reading →

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Another same sex divorce case

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In Bexar County. And with it comes another opportunity for Greg Abbott to demonstrate his commitment to non-equality. The Bexar divorce case was filed Feb. 18, eight days before U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ruled that the state’s ban on … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS declines to hear Farmers Branch appeal

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

By all rights, this story should now be at an end. The U.S. Supreme Court brought closure Monday to the seven-year legal battle in Farmers Branch over a local ordinance that sought to ban landlords from renting property to people … Continue reading →

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Next steps in the Texas same sex marriage lawsuit

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering, Attorney General and candidate for Governor Greg Abbott will appeal Wednesday’s historic ruling striking down Texas’ constitutional amendment barring same sex marriage. The state of Texas has officially given notice that it is appealing a … Continue reading →

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Texas stands with polluters against the EPA one more time

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. The Obama administration’s climate change agenda on Monday faced one of its first real tests in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, where Texas and a group of industry leaders challenged an Environmental Protection Agency regulation aimed … Continue reading →

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Federal judge strikes down Texas’ anti-same sex marriage law

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. A federal judge in San Antonio ruled Wednesday that Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutionally deprives some citizens of due process and equal protection under the law by stigmatizing their relationships and treating them differently from opposite-sex couples. U.S. … Continue reading →

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Add Virginia to the list

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The list of states whose law banning same sex marriage has been struck down. A federal judge ruled Thursday that Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, making it the first state in the South to have its voter-approved prohibition … Continue reading →

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Davis officially supports same sex marriage

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Right on. Sen. Wendy Davis said Thursday that she supports same-sex marriage and that Attorney General Greg Abbott, her presumed general-election opponent in the race for governor, should stop defending the state’s ban. “It’s my strong belief that when people … Continue reading →

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No ruling in Texas same sex marriage lawsuit

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We’re going to have to wait to see if an injunction will be granted against Texas’ Double Secret Illegal Anti-Gay Marriage constitutional amendment. A San Antonio federal judge issued no decision Wednesday in a request to bar the state from … Continue reading →

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Hearing for the Texas federal same sex marriage lawsuit is tomorrow

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

All eyes will be on San Antonio on Wednesday. Like most new parents, Nicole Dimetman and Cleopatra De Leon plan their days around their small child. Theirs is an ordinary family life, they say, but it is by no means … Continue reading →

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The cost of fighting the inevitable

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Trib headline: Anti-Regulation Politics May Have Hurt Energy Industry. Oh, the irony. Businesses in energy-related industries in Texas say they have been unable to take full advantage of the natural gas boom that is roaring across the state because of … Continue reading →

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On succeeding Abbott as AG

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The next Attorney General will inherit a lot of Greg Abbott’s unfinished fights, some of which he instigated and some of which were thrust upon him by the Lege. Defending the constitutionality of the state’s controversial public school finance system … Continue reading →

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On, Wisconsin

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the ACLU of Wisconsin: The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Wisconsin and the law firm of Mayer Brown filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of four same-sex couples who wish to marry in Wisconsin or are … Continue reading →

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VRA 2.0

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: [Thursday] morning, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) introduced proposed amendments to the Voting Rights Act that would rework the section 5 coverage formula invalidated by the Supreme Court in Shelby … Continue reading →

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Utah will not recognize same sex marriages

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not until they are forced to. Utah Gov. Gary Herbertannounced Wednesday that the state will not recognize the 1,000-plus same-sex marriages performed in the state since Dec. 20, when a U.S. district judge ruled that the state’s ban on gay … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit pretends to hear HB2 appeal

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We’re all sure what their decision will be, right? Appellate judges on Monday challenged lawyers over provisions of Texas’ new abortion law and whether they have unduly caused the closure of about a dozen abortion clinics. The three-judge panel of … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS halts same sex marriages in Utah, for now

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday put same-sex marriages in Utah on hold, granting the state’s request for a stay while it appeals a ruling that laws banning such marriages are unconstitutional. The court said the stay would be … Continue reading →

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A brief history of gay marriage legislation in Texas

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From TM Daily Post. Gay marriage supporters have made massive strides in a very short amount of time. Less than ten years ago, gay couples couldn’t get married anywhere in the United States. While the progress they did achieve shortly … Continue reading →

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Utah appeals to SCOTUS

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This was inevitable. Utah took its fight against gay marriage to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, asking the high court to suspend same-sex unions that became legal when a judge struck down the state’s voter-approved ban. The heavily Mormon … Continue reading →

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Lambda Legal sues Houston over same sex spouse benefits

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t see this coming. Lambda Legal [Thursday] filed a federal lawsuit against Houston Mayor Annise Parker and the City of Houston seeking to preserve spousal benefits, including health insurance, covering the same-sex spouses of city employees. The lawsuit was … Continue reading →

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A lot more court action on same sex marriage is coming

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

One way or another, 2014 is going to be a milestone year for marriage equality. Advocates on both sides of the gay marriage debate predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that overturned part of a federal ban … Continue reading →

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Another court says No to Utah

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And Yes to the hundreds of couples getting married. A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that gay marriages can continue in Utah, denying a request from the state to halt same-sex weddings that have been occurring at a rapid rate … Continue reading →

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If it can happen in Utah…

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Just, wow. A federal judge struck down Utah’s same-sex marriage ban Friday in a decision that marks a drastic shift toward gay marriage in a conservative state where the Mormon church has long been against it. The decision set … Continue reading →

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