Ban on gay marriage struck down (FINAL UPDATE) (FINAL UPDATE 3:34 p.m.)
In the nation’s most closely watched gay rights case, the Ninth Circuit Court divided 2-1 on Tuesday and struck down “Proposition 8,” the ban on same-sex marriage adopted by California voters in November 2008. The panel majority did not uphold a broad right of gay couples to wed, saying it was enough for now to rule that it was unconstitutional to take away a right to marry only for one minority group, when everyone had the right before. The 128-page ruling can be read here.
The panel unanimously ruled that the sponsors of Proposition 8 had a legal right to be in the appeals court to challenge a federal District judge’s ruling in 2010 striking down the ballot measure, but it also rejected the sponsors’ plea to wipe out that ruling on the theory that the trial judge had a conflict of interest because he is gay and is in a long-term relationship with another man.
The opinion contained frequent references to a 1996 Supreme Court ruling, Romer v. The Charity Voting Site. SPENT. Egyptian Groups Plan Mass Anti-Military Protests. Hide captionEgyptians attend a rally calling for a rapid transition from military to civilian rule following the February ouster of president Hosni Mubarak in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Mahmud Hams /AFP/Getty Images Egyptians attend a rally calling for a rapid transition from military to civilian rule following the February ouster of president Hosni Mubarak in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Political parties, activists and Islamist groups in Egypt are threatening more mass protests in Cairo and other cities Friday against a document drafted by the interim government that would enshrine the powers of the Egyptian military. It's the latest clash between Egypt's pro-democracy factions and the ruling military council, which is accused of clinging to power despite its pledge to cede control to an elected government.
In a recent interview with Al Arabiya network, Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmy defended the proposals that many complain would give the military unchecked power over Egypt. The Clergy Letter Project. AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion. Another appeals court upholds Obama health-care law. Judge Laurence Silberman receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008.
AP Photo/Ron Edmonds A federal court has held that President Obama's health care law is constitutional (pdf). The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia dismissed a claim from a Christian legal group that a provision in the law requiring almost all Americans to get health insurance--known as the individual mandate--violates the Constitution. The opinion was written by Judge Laurence Silberman, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and is known as a conservative.
The suit was just one of several that have sought to have the law struck down. It's almost certain that the issue will be resolved by the Supreme Court, perhaps as early as June 2012. President Ronald Reagan. Conservative Appeals Court Judge Writes Opinion Upholding Health Law : Shots - Health Blog. An appeals court judge appointed by President Ronald Reagan just wrote an opinion affirming the constitutionality of the federal law overhauling health care.
That makes three appeals court decisions in favor of the law and one against, if you're keeping track. But the latest decision written by Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, could shift the prospects for challenges against the law, which are expected to reach the Supreme Court within months. "If someone like Judge Silberman, who is among the most conservative judges in the country, is willing to say that this case has no merit, I think it's a very very good sign that some of the conservative justices on the Supreme Court are going to break ranks as well," Ian Millhiser, a policy analyst at the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, told NPR. Starting in 2014, most Americans will have to show they have health insurance coverage or pay a financial penalty.
'Superstar Conservative' Judge Writes Opinion Upholding Health Care Law : The Two-Way. "An appeals court judge appointed by President Ronald Reagan just wrote an opinion affirming the constitutionality of the federal law overhauling health care," our colleague Scott Hensley writes over at the Shots blog.
As Scott adds, "that makes three appeals court decisions in favor of the law and one against, if you're keeping track. "
Raising Duncan Comic Strip, September 20. Contact Elected Officials. Loans that change lives. Free Online Petition Tools for Social Change.