Voters reject CA, OH redistricting proposals; ME votes to keep gay rights law
California voters Tuesday rejected a hotly-contested initiative that would have prevented lawmakers from drawing political voting districts . The initiative was allowed on the ballot after an appeal to the California...
James Fields et. al v. Palmdale School District, US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Judge Stephen Reinhart, November 2, 2005 [dismissing a lawsuit brought by parents who were angered by a sex survey given to their students in...
Federal appeals court dismisses challenge to student sex survey brought by CA parents
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Wednesday upheld a lower court's ruling and dismissed a lawsuit brought by parents who were angered by a sex survey given to their students in a...
States brief ~ CA Senate passes bill legalizing same-sex marriage
Leading Thursday's states brief, the California Senate by a 21-15 vote approved legislation today that would legalize same-sex marriages. Bill sponsor Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, plans to bring the bill up in the state Assembly on...
Complete text of the draft Iraqi constitution, as translated from the Arabic by the Associated Press :PREAMBLECHAPTER ONE: BASIC PRINCIPLESCHAPTER TWO: RIGHTS AND FREEDOMSPART ONE: RIGHTSPART TWO: FREEDOMSCHAPTER THREE: THE FEDERAL AUTHORITIESPART ONE: THE LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITYPART TWO:...
States brief - Florida appeal court rules unused 2000 butterfly ballots may be destroyed
Leading Friday's states brief, Florida's 1st District Court of Appeal has ruled that unused butterfly ballots from the 2000 presidential election can be destroyed as they are not public records. Chief Judge Charles J. Kahn, Jr. wrote...
States brief ~ WA high court finds for Seattle Times in joint operating agreement dispute
Leading Thursday's states brief, the Washington Supreme Court ruled today that the Seattle Times could count monetary losses it incurred during a 2000 strike in its effort to end its joint operating agreement with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer...
In a rare federal case involving gay marriage, a US District Court judge on Thursday ruled that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act passed by Congress does not violate the Constitution. Judge Gary Taylor declined to rule on...
States brief ~ Florida judge dismisses school districts' funding suit
In Friday's report on law in the states, Circuit Judge P. Kevin Davey of Florida's 11th Judicial District today dismissed a lawsuit filed by five of Florida's larger school boards over changes in the way the state's...
Oregon governor introduces legislation to recognize same-sex civil unions
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and a bipartisan group of state senators introduced legislation Wednesday that would recognize civil unions for same-sex couples and would outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. The text of Senate...
