Deciding not to wait any longer for a federal judge in Texas to act, the Obama administration on Thursday asked a federal appeals court to clear the way for the government to put into effect its broad new immigration policy. That policy has been on hold under the Texas judge’s order, but that judge has… Read More
Mar 11 2015
New challenge for state judge on same-sex marriage
The Alabama Supreme Court on Tuesday pushed a state judge a big step closer to a serious legal bind on the issue of same-sex marriage. It extended to Don Davis, a probate judge in Mobile, its ruling last week barring the issuance of any more marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
Mar 9 2015
U.S. foiled again on immigration policy
Ignoring a deadline that the Obama administration attempted to impose, the federal judge handling the twenty-six states’ challenge to the new government immigration policy said he would not rule for the time being on the plea to let that policy go into effect. Instead, District Judge Andrew S. Hanen of Brownsville said, he wants to… Read More
Mar 6 2015
Federal-state struggle on same-sex marriage widens
Raising the stakes on the conflicting views of federal and state courts in Alabama over same-sex marriage, lawyers for seven couples on Friday asked a federal judge in Mobile to allow such marriages across the entire state. That runs directly contrary to a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court, enforcing a statewide ban
Mar 6 2015
Nebraska same-sex marriages on hold
The chances that Nebraska would become the thirty-seventh state where same-sex marriages are legal were interrupted Thursday when a federal appeals court put on hold a federal judge’s ruling against the state’s ban. That case will now be linked with three others already pending at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Mar 5 2015
Marriage case hearings April 28; audio out quickly
The Supreme Court on Thursday set the hearing date for the same-sex marriage cases for Tuesday, April 28, and announced that the audiotape recording of the session will be released by no later than 2 p.m. that day.
Mar 4 2015
New US plea for speed on immigration dispute
The Justice Department told a federal judge in Texas on Wednesday that it may go to a higher court in an effort to put its new immigration policy into effect, if the judge does not act by Monday.
Mar 4 2015
Setting the stage for private debate on health care
This post also appears on scotusblog.com One of the most important functions of oral argument in the Supreme Court is that it can strongly shape the next round: the private deliberations among the nine Justices as they start work on a decision. The much-awaited hearing Wednesday on the stiff new challenge to the Affordable Care Act… Read More
Mar 3 2015
States want immigration policy kept on hold
Twenty-six states that had persuaded a federal judge last month to delay the Obama administration’s new policy on deferring deportation of more than four million undocumented immigrants argued on Tuesday that there was no emergency, so no need to let the policy go into effect.
Mar 2 2015
Nebraska’s same-sex marriage ban falls
A senior federal trial judge in Omaha on Monday struck down Nebraska’s ban on same-sex marriage, finding that it was a form of discrimination that failed a tougher constitutional standard. District Court Judge Joseph F. Bataillon put his ruling on hold for a week, to allow the state to seek a longer postponement from the… Read More
