Indiana marriage law is discriminatory, US court says in ruling for humanists
In a significant victory for nonreligious Americans, the appeals court ordered Indiana to allow secular humanists to officiate at weddings.
Warren Richey
A US judge invalidates a gay marriage ban, this time in Pennsylvania
A federal judge on Tuesday struck down Pennsylvania’s ban on gay marriage, a day after a different judge ruled likewise in Oregon. That makes eight US judges in six months whose decisions went the same way, versus none who upheld a state ban.
New bid to topple Obamacare in court: Did Harry Reid bend the rules?
Senate majority leader Harry Reid violated the Constitution in his maneuverings to pass Obamacare, a conservative legal fund argues. The case will go before a federal panel of judges Thursday.
US Supreme Court to hear dispute over ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ as birthplace
An American couple wants their son’s passport to read, “Jerusalem, Israel,” not simply “Jerusalem.” The court will consider whether a 2002 US law giving them that option trumps a State Department policy.
Did airline unfairly report angry pilot to TSA? Supreme Court rules
A jury decided that Air Wisconsin was reckless in telling the TSA that one of its pilots could be armed and mentally unstable, resulting his detainment. But the Supreme Court reversed the ruling.
Obamacare and contraceptives: Supreme Court hands nuns temporary victory
The Supreme Court blocked enforcement of Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate and said the nuns were not required to use the procedure set up by the government as an accommodation for religious groups.
Same-sex couples challenge Florida ban on gay marriage
Same-sex couples claim that the Florida ban on gay marriage is a ‘government-imposed stigma’ that fosters ‘private bias and discrimination.’ Same-sex marriage is banned in 30 states.
US judge strikes down Oklahoma gay marriage ban as ‘arbitrary, irrational’
Oklahoma’s 2004 ban restricts marriage to a union between one man and one woman. The judge said it ‘intentionally discriminates against same-sex couples,’ violating equal protection guarantees.
Abortion rights: Supreme Court leaves rejection of Arizona law in place
In declining to take up the case, the Supreme Court let stand a Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that invalidated Arizona’s law, which sought to restrict abortions after 20 weeks.
Supreme Court halts gay marriages in Utah, pending appeals court decision
An injunction by a federal judge in Utah last month has allowed more than 900 gay couples to marry. The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to block that injunction while litigation continues.
‘Jihad Jane,’ who vowed to kill Swedish cartoonist, gets 10 years in prison
An American woman who styled herself ‘Jihad Jane’ online was sentenced to 10 years for plotting to help Islamic militants and to kill a cartoonist who drew an offensive picture of the prophet.
Uighurs’ release from Guantànamo brings tragic ordeal to an end
Three Muslims from China known as Uighurs were transferred from Guantànamo to Slovakia Monday. They were the last of 22 Uighurs – all held without evidence of terror activity – to be released.
Big question in Utah gay marriage battle: A fundamental right to marry?
Friday is the next deadline in the gay marriage battle in Utah, as US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor considers how to handle the state’s request to halt same-sex marriages pending appeal of a lower-court ruling allowing them. So far, she has asked gay couples to submit briefs.
Justice Sotomayor blocks Obamacare contraception mandate
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor late Tuesday issued a temporary injunction preventing the government from requiring a group of nuns to comply with the contraceptive mandate included in ‘Obamacare.’
New Mexico becomes 17th state with legal gay marriage
In a gay marriage case, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the state constitution guarantees equal treatment and equal protection of same-sex couples.
Did China steal US corn? Six charged with digging up bioengineered seed
Six Chinese nationals were indicted in Iowa for an alleged plot to steal bioengineered corn seed from US companies, even digging it up from test fields, and send it to their own conglomerate in China.
US judge rules NSA data sweep an ‘indiscriminate and arbitrary invasion’
The judge, ruling in an ongoing civil lawsuit, ordered the NSA to stop collecting the plaintiffs’ telephone metadata, saying the intelligence gathering likely violates Fourth Amendment privacy guarantees.
Tea party and political buttons: Supreme Court declines Minnesota case
Conservative groups, including the Minnesota North Star Tea Party Patriots, said a state election law violated voters’ free speech rights. The action by the Supreme Court lets stand a federal appeals court decision upholding the statute.
Supreme Court rejects challenge to Obamacare by Christian university
The challenge by Liberty University focused on congressional power under the commerce clause and broader claims that Obamacare violates religious rights. On Monday, the Supreme Court turned the appeal aside.
Supreme Court to weigh if ‘Obamacare’ birth-control mandate can stand
The Obamacare law requires for-profit companies to offer 20 birth-control options to employees under corporate health plans. Four of those 20 violate the religious beliefs of two company owners whose cases the US Supreme Court has now agreed to hear.