Sponsors of California gay marriage ban sue state AG over bill description News
Sponsors of California gay marriage ban sue state AG over bill description

[JURIST] The sponsors of a proposed amendment to the California constitution that would ban gay marriage [advocacy website] sued California Attorney General Bill Lockyer [official website] on Tuesday, alleging that his summary of the measure [initiative text] prepared by the state for signature-gathering petitions is biased. Lockyer changed the name of the bill [JURIST report] from the proposed "The Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Act" to "Marriage. Elimination of Domestic Partnership Rights" and also stressed that the act would not just define marriage as between a man and a woman but also eliminate rights given to domestic partners. A spokesman for Lockyer said the description is "100 percent accurate" and doubted that a judge would rule against it. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism

November 9 is the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism [UNITED factsheet]. On November 9, 1924, American gay activist Henry Gerber and several associates formed the Society for Human Rights, the first gay rights organization in the United States. The Society received a charter from the State of Illinois in December but was disbanded in July 1925 after a police raid which led to Gerber's arrest and trial (albeit not conviction). Pay a virtual visit to Henry Gerber House, now a registered Chicago landmark.

Supreme Court strikes down Massachusetts anti-draft law

On November 9, 1970, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 in Massachusetts v. Laird not to hear the case of the state's anti-draft law. Massachusetts had passed a law, which allowed its citizens to decline to fight in any undeclared war, even if the person was drafted. The law was passed in opposition to the draft and the war in Vietnam. The First Circuit found the war constitutional and thus struck down the law.