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White House: Eric Holder resigning as U.S. Attorney General
WASHINGTON — Eric Holder, who served as the public face of the Obama administration’s legal fight against terrorism and pushed to make the criminal justice system more even-handed, is resigning after six years on the job. He is the nation’s first black attorney general.
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Lambda Legal seeks swift ruling to end same-sex marriage ban in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Lambda Legal has filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico, seeking a summary judgment to end the U.S. commonwealth’s ban on same-sex marriage. Lambda Legal joined the lawsuit, Conde v. García Padilla, in June on behalf of five same-sex couples and Puerto Rico Para Tod@s, an organization that represents …
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Federal judge orders Ariz. to recognize deceased man’s same-sex marriage
A judge handed a victory Friday to a gay man who lost his spouse to cancer last month and was denied death benefits because Arizona does not recognize same-sex marriage. Fred McQuire and George Martinez were partners of 45 years who got married in California this summer, fulfilling one of their final wishes as they both dealt with serious health issues.
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Fred and George, 45 years together: An Arizona Love Story
PHOENIX — On Friday, Lambda Legal will ask the U.S. District Court in Phoenix to order the State of Arizona to provide an accurate death certificate to Fred McQuire for his husband, George Martinez, who died on August 28. Fred, 69, and his late husband, George, 62, of Green Valley, Ariz., both veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, met in 1969….
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Idaho, Nevada, Hawaii same-sex marriage cases go before appeals court
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court on Monday is set to consider same-sex marriage bans in Idaho, Nevada and Hawaii. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled two hours of arguments Monday on whether such bans should be struck down in Idaho and Nevada. Hawaii legalized same-sex marriage in December so that appeal may be dismissed. The appeals court…
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Emergency motion seeks recognition of deceased man’s surviving spouse
PHOENIX — A gay rights legal advocacy group on Wednesday filed an emergency motion asking the U.S. District Court in Arizona to order the State of Arizona to provide a death certificate naming a deceased man’s spouse as his survivor. Lambda Legal filed the motion on behalf of Fred McQuire and George Martinez, a Green Valley, Ariz., couple who are parties to a lawsuit…
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Ill. couple sues cab company after driver tried to kick them out of taxi for kissing
CHICAGO — An Illinois couple is continuing their fight against a Chicago cab company after they claim a driver tried to kick them out of his taxi for kissing in the backseat. Matthew McCrea and Steven White have filed a lawsuit against Sun Taxi after their original complaint, filed with the Illinois Department of Human Rights last October, was dismissed because the department said…
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Federal appeals court judges bristle at ‘traditional’ marriage argument
CHICAGO — Federal appeals court judges considering whether to uphold gay marriage bans in Indiana and Wisconsin reserved their toughest questions for the states, asking how the bans help society, especially children of same-sex couples. A three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the case Tuesday. Judge Richard Posner…
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Lambda Legal sues Veterans Affairs over denial of benefits for same-sex spouses
WASHINGTON — A leading LGBT advocacy group has filed suit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, arguing that the denial of benefits to same-sex spouses of veterans living in states that refuse to recognize their marriages is in violation of last year’s U.S. Supreme Court’s decision striking down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act.
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Ariz. same-sex couple wants marriage recognized due to terminal illness
PHOENIX — A same-sex couple from southern Arizona wants a federal judge to immediately order the state to recognize their marriage because one of the men is terminally ill. Lawyers for George Martinez and Fred McQuire of Green Valley say the order is needed so McQuire can be recognized as Martinez’s survivor when he dies.