David Boies, one of the two attorneys in the successful case to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage, said the case evoked fights he participated in during the civil rights movement decades ago, calling opposition to equality the “last bastion of official, state-sponsored discrimination in this country.” He spoke at the Commonwealth Club Thursday night.
Category: Law & Justice
Posted inElections, Government & Politics, Law & Justice, LGBTQ+
Prop. 8 gay marriage ban overturned; ruling unlikely to be the last word
A federal judge Wednesday struck down California’s ban on gay marriage, but that decision is unlikely to be the last word. The case will eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court, legal analysts predicted. Proponents of 2008’s Proposition 8 are expected to appeal judge Vaughn R. Walker’s ruling that the measure was unconstitutional. The first step to the Supreme Court would be the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Posted inHousing, Labor, Land use, Law & Justice, Open Government
Lawsuit seeks details on failed $100 million CalPERS investment
The public has been slow to learn about details surrounding controversial investments made by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. Now a public-interest legal group is suing CalPERS to ensure key documents related to a failed $100 million investment come to light.
Posted inLaw & Justice, Media, Public Safety, Social Justice, Transportation
Response in Oakland to jury verdict in BART shooting death
Oakland spent the afternoon bracing for news of and reaction to the impending verdict in the trial of former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle for the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant III on Jan. 1, 2009. The jury announced its verdict of involuntary manslaughter today shortly after 4 p.m. in Los Angeles. Reporters from Oakland Local and The Bay Citizen are in downtown Oakland and around the city documenting public response. Visit the their websites sites for breaking news coverage. (Click headline for links.)
Posted inArts & Culture, Law & Justice
Amid budget cuts and institutional neglect, San Quentin’s arts education volunteers keep working
On a cool Friday night in March, near the corner of Haight and Steiner streets in San Francisco, the hip boutique Tweekin Records hosted an unusual gallery opening of paintings, sketches, poetry and elaborate collages. It was created by inmates at San Quentin State Prison.
Organized by Kate Deciccio, an artist and a mental health and substance abuse counselor in San Francisco, the exhibit featured her own work, along with work by Eddie Sanchez and “Absent” Helean from San Quentin, and by inmates in the John Howard Pavilion at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. — Deciccio’s former employers.
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Posted inLaw & Justice, LGBTQ+, News
Keen questions from judge in Prop. 8 closing arguments
Five months after it began, closing arguments in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial are taking place today. U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker, who is deciding the case, recently submitted dozens of probing legal questions for the teams representing both sides in the case to address in this final phase.
Posted inLaw & Justice, LGBTQ+, Social Justice
As gay marriage heads back to court, political proponents are split
Since the passage of Proposition 8 in 2008, there has been a substantial divide among gay-rights groups over how soon they should go to voters to try and reverse the ban against same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, a legal effort to reverse the law will return to the courtroom on June 16 for closing arguments.
Posted inEconomy & Business, Law & Justice
Some Lawyers Want to Keep Debt Collection Out of the Courts
Debt collectors are increasingly using litigation as a tool to collect on aging debts. Critics say the practice clogs the courts and turns the credit card companies’ debtor lists into free-fire zones that sometimes target the innocent. In the Bay Area, a coordinated response to these practices is being developed, as a loose-knit group of public-interest lawyers pools resources to fight what they see as a misuse of the court system.
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