The direct impact is limited. But we now have yet another case where a federal judge – this time a Republican appointee – has ruled against gay marriage bans based on the Windsor case which overturned DOMA. As we found in Utah, Ohio and in a few other instances, pretty much all federal judges (though we still haven’t heard from enough GOP-appointed judges) seem to agree with Antonin Scalia that Windsor simply makes state laws that discriminate against same sex marriage untenable.
This is why I love you people. This morning I’m writing about my longstanding belief in the excessive use of high speed chases by police departments, especially as they may lead to the premature death of upstanding citizens like myself. And now multiple readers have told me about this hot – and, let’s be honest, awesome – new technology called a GPS Cannon. And yes, it’s awesome.
Federal judge rules that Kentucky can no longer refuse to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages conducted out of state.
Late Update: The judge, John G. Heyburn II, is a Bush I appointee. In his opinion (read it here), Heyburn notes, “All federal courts that have considered same-sex marriage rights post-Windsor have ruled in favor of same-sex marriage rights.” Windsor is the landmark Supreme Court case last year that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. But I believe this is the first of those post-Windsor cases decided by a Republican-appointed federal judge.
Chris Christie now running a mere 21 points behind Hillary Clinton in hypothetical 2016 match up.
About 5:30 this morning NYPD patrol cars were engaged in a high speed chase of a stolen truck in Greenwich Village when the truck collided with an MTA commuter bus. Both vehicles then careened up onto a sidewalk and plowed into building scaffolding where both vehicles came to a stop. William Pena, who had been driving city buses since 1996, was pronounced dead on the scene. Three passengers were taken to a local hospital. The driver of the truck suffered minor neck injuries and was taken into custody.
Yesterday conservative outside funding groups lit up the “fire Boehner” siren, but now Republicans are saying those emails were just a cynical, money-grubbing move. Is it part of an overall effort to crush the nuisance that is the tea party?
Authors of The Second Machine Age Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson ponder America’s economic future: “We can’t foresee if it’s going to be more like Star Trek, where no one worries about a paycheck and people are freed up to explore new worlds, or more like Elysium, where a small elite works hard to separate itself from the miserable masses.”
As you know, one of the final desperate legal maneuvers to derail Obamacare is wending its way through the courts. This one is predicated on one badly worded piece of the law that conservative opponents argue means no tax credits should be available to anyone who obtains health insurance through the federal exchange, the effect of which would be to unwind the most important provisions of the law.
The argument is absurd on its face. If you read the Affordable Care Act as whole, it’s clear that subsidies were not just intended for consumers who obtain insurance through the state-based exchanges. But what do those who were at the drafting table when the bill was compiled recall about this provision and what Congress intended? We talked to two key players who were in the room. Here’s what they have to say.
Pascal Tessier, left, who is believed to be the first openly gay Boy Scout to achieve Eagle Scout status, receives his Eagle Scout badge from Troop 52 Scoutmaster Don Beckham, Monday, Feb. 10, 2014, in Chevy Chase, Md.
Here’s the full story about Pascal’s achievement and the year of activism, advocating for a change in Scout policy, that led up to it.
More pictures of the big day after the jump …