Monthly Archives: July 2010

Link

Federal Ruling that Section 3 of DOMA is Unconstitutional (pdf)

In the wake of DOMA, it is only sexual orientation that differentiates a married couple entitled to federal marriage-based benefits from one not so entitled. And this court can conceive of no way in which such a difference might be relevant to the provision of the benefits at issue. By premising eligibility for these benefits on marital status in the first instance, the federal government signals to this court that the relevant distinction to be drawn is between married individuals and unmarried individuals. To further divide the class of married individuals into those with spouses of the same sex and those with spouses of the opposite sex is to create a distinction without meaning. And where, as here, “there is no reason to believe that the disadvantaged class is different, in relevant respects” from a similarly situated class, this court may conclude that it is only irrational prejudice that motivates the challenged classification. As irrational prejudice plainly never constitutes a legitimate government interest, this court must hold that Section 3 of DOMA as applied to Plaintiffs violates the equal protection principles embodied in the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

DOMA being the Defense of Marriage Act, obvs. That’s the actual ruling that’s linked, kindly hosted by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD).

(via Prop 8 Trial Tracker)

Link

The filibuster is giving enviros unwarranted self-esteem issues

[Environmentalists] got a majority of U.S. citizens on their side, as polls repeatedly showed. And — here’s the kicker — on the back of all that work, they got a majority of legislators in both houses of Congress on their side.

In a sane world — and in other developed democracies — that’s what success looks like. Environmentalists did what they were supposed to do, and they did it well! They should be proud of themselves. It’s not their fault Republicans are abusing idiosyncratic features of Senate governance to make reform prohibitively difficult.

(via Ezra Klein)

Link

Blik Wall Decals

Ever had an urge to take your favorite Threadless t-shirt design and put it on a wall in your house or apartment? You can! I discovered it upon arriving at a friend’s house and finding that the design on the t-shirt I was wearing was also in her kitchen.

Related: I wore one Threadless shirt to work on casual Friday. A co-worker asked about it and I said it was from Threadless, prompting the question “What’s Threadless?” My other co-worker answered the question, but what was amusing was that you could tell from the way he answered it that he clearly hasn’t shopped at Threadless, but he learned all about in business school.