Yesterday we celebrated the one-year anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark Supreme Court decision that made marriage equality the law of the land. Today we want to remind you that there’s still much work to do.
Amazing Anniversary: Marriage Equality Decision Celebrates First Year
This Sunday will mark the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which brought marriage equality to the states in 2015.
Federal Court Refuses To Halt Enforcement of Mississippi's "Religious Liberty" Bill
A federal court in Mississippi has refused to halt enforcement of HB 1523, the Mississippi law passed in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s upholding marriage equality last year. The bill is apparently the brainchild of a Religious Right organization that has litigated denial-of-service cases across the country.
Kim Davis Wants To Have Her Own Appeal Dismissed—And Claim Victory
Kim Davis—the Rowan County, KY, clerk who stopped issuing all marriage licenses so that she would not have to issue them to same-sex couples—filed a motion today with the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that her own case is moot and should be dismissed. But that’s not all: she also argues that the court should throw out the preliminary injunction issued by the trial court last year, which prohibits Davis from refusing marriage licenses altogether.
Accommodating Transgender Students In Public Schools Is Nothing New
What happens when a school district allows a transgender student to use the bathroom consistent with his or her gender identity? According to a recent article in The Miami Herald, not much.
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of The 2016 State Sessions, Part 2: The Bad And The Ugly
In part 1, we recapped the good— the harmful bills that were stopped. In today’s post, we cover the bad and the ugly of the 2016 state legislative sessions.
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of The 2016 State Sessions, Part 1: The Good
Third Lawsuit Filed Against Mississippi's Governor Bryant Over "Religious Liberty" Law
It's been over two months since Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed the state's overly broad "religious liberty" bill into law, but neither he nor the bill has been able to rest easy.
“Neither Rain Nor Snow Nor Sleet Nor Dark Of Night” Will Keep Postal Workers From Their Appointed Rounds, But Religious Beliefs Might
As reported in the Friendly Atheist blog, a postal worker in Bremerton, Washington, is refusing to deliver mail to pot shops and an adult video store. Her excuse? Her religious beliefs.
Federal Court Was Right To Issue Permanent Injunction On Ala. Marriage-Equality Ban, Says Americans United
Arizona's Largest Women's Health Network Obstructs Abortion Access Due To Religious Beliefs
Pay No Attention to Those Tens of Thousands of Women Affected by the Contraception Litigation
How the Energy and Water Funding Bill Turned into a Fight Over Religious Discrimination
On Wednesday afternoon, the House took up the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which is just one of the dozen of bills Congress passes each year to fund the federal government. The bill, not normally thought to evoke debates over discrimination or religion, became a lightning rod for those issues by the end of the day. And the bill ultimately failed, in part, due to a troubling amendment that would have allowed taxpayer funded religious discrimination.
Mississippi Joins Multi-State Anti-LGBT Lawsuit Against The Federal Government [Updated]
Yesterday Mississippi announced that it would be joining 11 other states in their lawsuit against the Obama administration after it reminded states that federal law prohibits schools from discriminating against transgender students in public schools.
"Groundbreaking Victory" In Landmark Ruling Over Unconstitutional Public Funding Of New Jersey Religious Institutions
A New Jersey appellate court has ruled that Governor Chris Christie's administration violated the New Jersey Constitution in granting public funds to two religious institutions that discriminate on the basis of religion and sex. Americans United, together with the ACLU of New Jersey and the national ACLU, collaboratively brought the case and called this ruling a "groundbreaking victory" in a joint statement today.
Problematic Pastor: Why Is A Controversial Texas Minister Counseling Dallas Law Enforcement?
Americans United Responds To Lawsuit Seeking Right to Discriminate Against Transgender Students
On May 13, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education reiterated that the nation’s civil-rights laws prohibit public schools from discriminating against transgender students. Thus, transgender students must be allowed to use the restrooms and participate in the activities designated for the gender with which they identify.
Today, eleven states—Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin—filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Texas to challenge the government’s authority to protect these students’ civil rights.
Oklahoma's Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bill Is Effectively Dead
Religious Right Group Drafts Anti-LGBT Bathroom Policy For Virginia School District
In previous posts on this blog, we've discussed the Alliance Defending Freedom's (ADF) involvement in lawsuits against public school districts that allow transgender students to use the single-sex restroom and locker room facilities that match their gender identities. Now the ADF has taken it one step further: helping one Virginia school district establish an anti-transgender bathroom policy of its own.
Oklahoma Introduces Anti-LGBT "Bathroom Bill" That Uses Religion To Discriminate
Ever since North Carolina passed the infamous HB 2, which prohibits transgender individuals from using the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity, we’ve heard a lot about so-called "bathroom bills." This week, Oklahoma got in on the act by proposing SB 1619, the first of these bills to raise religion issues.