Civil Rights

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie blasted the Supreme Court's gay marriage rulings, saying they were "wrong," "inappropriate," and "insulting." By supporting the 2,000 year old institution of marriage, Christie continues his angling towards the 2016 Republican primary.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed the state's $62 billion state spending plan into law Sunday after vetoing an attempt by legislators to block his administration from expanding Medicaid to additional low-income residents — but he left in place a new requirement that doctors inform pregnant women seeking abortions of any fetal heartbeat.

A bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act would require the Department of Defense to conduct an internal review of policies and prosecutions related to military members living with HIV. The amendment would be the first time Congress has voted on HIV-criminalization matters since the passage of the 1990 Ryan White CARE Act, which required states to certify they had a process to prosecute deliberate transmission of HIV.

As the 15th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard approaches, the American Bar Association is looking into a resolution that will ban the so-called Gay and Trans Panic Defense that first came to national light after its use in the Shepard case. The tactic explains and excuses the defense's crimes by blaming a perpetrator's violence on the victim's sexuality.

He made impassioned speeches on the Senate floor, held press conferences and appeared on the Sunday talk shows. For years, Colorado Senator Mark Udall has been telling anyone who will listen that key provisions of the Patriot Act are being used by the the government to tread on citizens’ constitutional rights to privacy. This week, they started listening.

Colorado’s legal-defense community is raising questions about “what appears to be a cover-up” of systemic problems at the state lab that tests evidence in criminal cases. The pending investigation could effect thousands of people incarcerated over the last two years.

After the Republican-led State Congress has forced through legislation designed to decimate public education, deny/restrict access to health insurance, kneecap labor rights, seize local control from elected municipal governments, restrict women's access to reproductive healthcare, expand firearms permissions, eviscerate oversight boards, permit exploitation of public lands, implement "fracking" and other environmental abuses, and suppress voter rights—the people of North Carolina have finally had enough.

In another blow to civil rights and reproductive health options, Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma signed a bill into law last week that allows tax payers to sue abortion providers should they allegedly fail to meet strict new reporting regulations—opening the door for frivolous lawsuits from anti-abortion religious zealots.

Abercrombie & Fitch surf-themed brand Hollister uses steps at many of its storefronts to create a beach shack atmosphere, steps that potential customers in wheelchairs can't exactly use in an effort to buy $40 t-shirts. It's a clear violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but the corporate clothier isn't going without a fight.

Despite widely held assumptions by the US public that a search warrant would be needed in order for law enforcement officials to search personal email accounts, newly discovered documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union, reveal just how far off those assumptions have become.