A three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, upholding lower-court rulings that found the law, which discriminates against the marriage rights of gays and lesbians, unconstitutional. The author of the opinion, Dennis Jacobs, is a very conservative George H.W. Bush appointee. But even he had [...]

The Department of Homeland Security today announced a change to immigration rules, saying that they would consider same-sex couples as “family relationships” for the purposes of immigration policy. Specifically, the written guidance reads, “In an effort to make clear the definition of the phrase ‘family relationships,’ I have directed ICE to disseminate written guidance to [...]

Among the loose ends for Congress before the election is the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Though you would think this would be a no-brainer, it got caught up earlier this year in a partisan controversy. Republicans objected to provisions that would have expanded the anti-domestic violence protections to tribal land, undocumented immigrants [...]

This Op-Doc from the New York Times (which they don’t let you embed) pretty powerfully shows the effect of stop-and-frisk policies in New York City on young black men in the inner city, like Tyquan Brehon. Tyquan says he was stopped 60-70 times before his 18th birthday, and he’s not alone. Over 685,000 people were [...]

A three-judge panel of the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston has affirmed a ruling declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, bringing the case one step closer to an ultimate resolution at the Supreme Court. In an opinion written by Judge Mike Boudin, a George H.W. Bush appointee and former deputy assistant Attorney [...]

Two weeks after the President’s announcement of support for marriage equality, a Washington Post/ABC News poll shows more support than ever before, with 53% of the public favoring marriage equality and just 39% opposed. Among key communities, the inference can be made that the President’s announcement has shifted support. However, you also see in the [...]

Today the House votes on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. This reauthorization has already passed the Senate with 68 votes, but the House version cancelled several protections Senate Democrats added, to apply domestic violence protections to Native Americans, undocumented immigrants and LGBT families. This has drawn a veto threat from the White House, a [...]

A positive side effect of Barack Obama’s shift on marriage equality, aside from revealing Andrew Sullivan’s daddy fixation, is that it has forced a good bit of the Democratic establishment to come off the fence and to support equality themselves. Since the announcement last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer [...]

So earlier today I was wondering whether the LGBT-led donor boycott of the Obama campaign would continue after his shift on marriage equality. After all, his Administration still planned to reject an anti-discrimination executive order, and this, not the President’s position on marriage equality, was the nominal reason for the boycott. Greg Sargent tracked down [...]

I think that the President’s announcement yesterday on marriage equality is worthy of praise. Yet I also see John Cole’s point that, at the end of the day, the President merely expressed an opinion. Presidents expressing an opinion matters more than, say, me expressing one, but we can judge on actions and not words. And [...]

video platform video management video solutions video player ABC News has broadcast a preview of President Obama’s remarks from an interview with Robin Roberts today, and the President affirmed his support for marriage equality, saying that same-sex marriage should be legal. Here’s the full quote: OBAMA: I have to tell you that over the course [...]