A bill introduced in the winter of 2020 codifying same-sex marriage into New Jersey statute was only recently advanced past the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee on a vote of 4 to 0. New Jersey’s Assembly Bill 5367 states that laws addressing both civil unions and marriages should be interpreted with gender-neutral intent. Since 2013, Read More

In the summer of 2021, the state of Texas passed its controversial “heartbeat bill” addressing abortion and banning the procedure after 6 weeks, before most women know they are pregnant and with no exception for incest and rape. This legislation appears to have been just a starting poinA Texas legislator is now attempting to pass Read More

When House Bill 2, or HB2, was passed in North Carolina in 2016, the city of Charlotte lost its ability to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance to protect the rights of its LGBTQ citizens. Indeed, the reputation of Charlotte as a progressive city was called into question as HB2 banned Charlotte and other cities from passing Read More

In a major religious rights case about to be heard by the United States Supreme Court, a conservative-dominated court might move American law even further in support of religion. A current trend in the court is towards increased religious liberty rights. This case traces back to the 2014 Hobby Lobby ruling, which ruled in favor Read More

Two women in Omaha and their children recently initiated legal action against the state of Nebraska’s health department after the department rejected the women’s request to be named as legal parents on their sons’ birth certificates. This case questions the role of parental rights held by LGBTQ+ couples. How the Case Arose In 2002, the Read More

The Governor of Idaho recently signed not one but two anti-trans bills into law during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the bills seeks to prohibit gender changes on birth certificates, while the other seeks to halt transgender student athletes from playing sports. The Anti-Trans Bills at Hand While most states in the Read More

For more than a quarter-century, the state of Alabama banned yoga as a “Hindu philosophy” and a “method of religious training.” Lawmakers in Alabama, however, are looking to change this approach. This article reviews the yoga ban in the state of Alabama as well as the proposed changes The Yoga Ban in Alabama In 1993, Read More

Lawmakers in Florida are currently considering a regulation that would permit pre-game prayers before sports games. This bill is motivated in part by a recent lawsuit between a Christian school and the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). The proposed regulation would require the FHSAA to provide schools with 30 seconds for opening remarks over Read More

The country’s treatment of LGBTQ individuals has changed substantially over the last decade. Among other developments, the United States Supreme Court in 2015 ruled that same-sex marriage must be recognized nationwide. Despite such advancements, four Colorado lawmakers recently introduced a bill to prohibit same-sex marriage in the state. The anti-LGBTQ law also would have prohibited Read More

The Virginia Values Act was recently passed by both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly, and democratic Governor Ralph Northam has said he will sign it into law. The bill will update Virginia’s nondiscrimination laws and provide additional protection for LGBTQ individuals in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations. Once signed, Virginia will Read More