Most of the legal world this week has been talking about King v. Burwell, a case from the D.C. Circuit which the Supreme Court announced last Friday it would take up. There are three potential companion cases, one of which is happening right here in Indiana. Strap in for a long ride. Continue reading What the ACA challenge means to Hoosiers
Tag Archives: Federal courts
A quick thought on Kennedy’s emergency stay
Update 10/10: The stay has been lifted and application denied, without explanation. Marriages in Idaho are back on, and we’ll have to wait until some time in the future (never?) to settle the question of law described below.
Here’s something we’ll be following, although it doesn’t (yet) have a direct effect on the Hoosier state. Yesterday, Anthony Kennedy issued an emergency stay in Idaho’s marriage case.
You might wonder why he would do that, just two days after the Court rejected appeals from three other Circuits.
The reason may lie with how Idaho framed its petition, and if that’s the case, we are in for one hell of an important Supreme Court battle. Continue reading A quick thought on Kennedy’s emergency stay
Preaching state trooper could be in hot water
Lost in all of the marriage equality hullabaloo was this post over at ILB from Sunday night. It seems a state trooper pulled a woman, Ellen Bogan, over for making an illegal pass and used the opportunity to talk to her about Jesus.
According to the complaint, filed in the US District Court for Southern Indiana (read it at ILB), after the officer took her license and brought it back to her along with a warning ticket, “there was no reason to further prolong the stop.” However, the trooper, one Brian Hamilton, remained at the car and proceeded to inquire whether Bogan was from the area and whether she was a Christian. He then gave her religious literature and explained that Jesus had died for her sins.
At each stage, he asked her permission before continuing, but according to Bogan, because of the situation, she did not feel free to refuse.
Bogan is being represented by the ACLU of Indiana.
What the SCOTUS decision means
When the Supreme Court decided not to hear appeals from five states in three circuits regarding same-sex marriage bans, they in effect legalized same-sex marriage in those five states, as well as six others in the same circuits which have similar laws that have not yet been struck down. A majority of Americans now live in states where same-sex marriage is (or shortly will be) legal. Nate Silver and Allison McCann over at FiveThirtyEight have a breakdown.
Lyle Denniston over at SCOTUSblog has an in-depth discussion of what happened, why and what it means on a national level. It is well worth the read. Also, stay on top of things with the Indiana Law Blog, as well.
As for Indiana, when will we see marriage licenses issued? Certainly very soon. The 7th Circuit hasn’t yet made it official, but the Indiana AG is telling county clerks to be ready, as it could happen as early as today or tomorrow. Read the AG Office’s “Important Communication” to county clerks here.
What does the future hold? Well, the Supreme Court has left open the opportunity to revisit this issue, obviously. The Court is probably sitting at a 4-4 vote, with Anthony Kennedy the fence sitter. It’s possible that none of the other Justices wanted to hear the cases because they couldn’t be sure if he would be on their side or not. Not worth the gamble. However, when (and if) a Circuit Court rules in favor of a state ban, the disagreement among the Circuits will virtually guarantee that the Supreme Court will have to decide the issue. If they reverse course, and the bans are again allowed, some states – and in the current climate, Indiana may be one of them – will see same-sex marriages go from banned to not banned to banned again. Unfortunately, that leaves a lot of Hoosier couples in a precarious position. Having this issue decided once and for all was what most people – on either side of the debate – were hoping for.
Monday roundup 10/6
This is more of a September Roundup, really. As promised, I am (finally) back. My goal with this blog is to have more in-depth content and less filler, so I might not post every day from here on, but the posts should be longer with more original thought. But I do plan on keeping the Roundup around. Once a week, just to catch things that slipped through the cracks. Continue reading Monday roundup 10/6
Monday roundup 8/25
Local:
Two men were sentenced in separate cases on Friday involving children, one for child abuse and one for molestation. Both received 12 years.
State:
Indiana is currently not enforcing the right-to-work law, after two judges have ruled it unconstitutional. The Governor believes the law will be upheld, but in the meantime, is following the direction of the courts. I think he learned his lesson about messing with judges. H/t ILB.
National:
The Obama administration has come up with new birth control rules that comply with the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling. SCOTUSblog has the details.
Pence reinstated as marriage defendant
Judge Richard Young removed Governor Pence as a defendant in the marriage cases after buying Pence’s argument that he didn’t have the authority to actually enforce the marriage laws. After finding out that Pence purported to exercise exactly that authority, the Judge has put his name back on the file. File this under “Watch Out for Watchful Judges.”
Virginia same-sex marriages on hold
Not a huge surprise, but in a simple three-sentence order, the Court has put a stay on the 4th Circuit ruling to allow same-sex marriages in Virginia, pending a petition for certiorari. If the Court denies cert, the stay terminates and marriages can be performed immediately. If the Court grants cert, the stay will remain in place until the Court says otherwise.
Monday roundup 8/18
In the area:
In the strange case of two brothers who disposed of a body of a person whom one of the brothers may or may not have killed, but definitely attacked, and whose death may have occurred in Allen or Nobel County, one brother has pleaded guilty to moving the body and has been sentenced to three years. As part of the deal, it has apparently been settled that she officially died in Noble County.
In the state:
Indiana officially has its first ever female Chief Justice
William Clyde Gibson has a second date with the executioner, although it’s also unlikely to be met, as appeals will push the date back.
Nationally:
SCOTUSblog has a repeatedly-updated post about movements on the Virginia same-sex marriage case at the end of the week. It seems that the deadline for responses to the request for a stay was about 20 minutes ago, so the justices may be looking those over as I type this. Perhaps a ruling tomorrow?
Big day for marriage cases
We’ll have to wait a few more weeks (Aug. 26) for the hearing on Indiana’s same-sex marriage ban with the 7th Circuit, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t happening. Target is joining the growing list of companies supporting marriage equality by filing a brief with the court. Generally, companies are lining up in favor of same-sex marriage recognition for two reasons: it’s good PR, and they believe allowing same-sex marriages in states where they do business will help them attract better employees.
Meanwhile, the 6th Circuit is looking at the bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee right now. Shortly after the hearing is over, a link to the audio will be posted on the 6th Circuit’s website.
And SCOTUSblog updated late yesterday afternoon that both Utah and Virginia officials are wasting no time asking the Supreme Court to step in. Things are moving fast. Stay tuned.