A recent lawsuit claims that the “medical conscience clause” in an over $70 billion budget bill goes against the terms of the single-subject requirement found in Ohio’s Constitution. This clause lets medical professionals decline to provide services to individuals based on their religious, ethical, or moral beliefs. Ohio’s single-subject regulations prohibit legislatures from placing policies in bills Read More

A Virginia House subcommittee recently struck down legislation that would have given voters in the state the chance to update the constitution. The legislation in question would have potentially removed a now defunct same-sex marriage prohibition in the Virginia state constitution.  The Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition in the State Constitution In 2006, Virginia passed the Marshall-Newman 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

At the end of January, 2019, the North Dakota senate defeated legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The senator, who was the primary sponsor of the bill, also known as Senate Bill 2303, has said that the measure was created to decrease the rate at which discrimination against LGBTQ individuals occurs in Read More

In less than a month, courts in Arizona will hear arguments connected to a 2016 lawsuit that challenge a section of Phoenix’s nondiscrimination ordinance that applies to gender identity and sexual orientation. While it remains uncertain how this case will be resolved, it will have a substantial impact on LGBT laws in Arizona and might Read More

A Massachusetts state law that is designed to protect transgender individuals from discrimination, including in areas like locker rooms and restrooms, has been affirmed. This decision comes after opponents of the anti-discrimination law collected enough signatures for a repeal question to be placed on the ballot. With this vote, Massachusetts has become the first state Read More

  At the beginning of July 2018, President Trump announced his decision to appoint Brett Kavanaugh to fill the spot left by the retirement of Justice Kennedy, and last month, Kavanaugh was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in to the Supreme Court. While Justice Kavanaugh previously served on the US Court of Appeals for Read More

While Mississippi is one of 30 states that do not have LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination laws, several changes have recently occurred in the state regarding its approach to LGBTQ laws. Most noticeably, local communities in the state, including most recently Clarksdale, have passed LGBTQ-inclusive discrimination ordinances. Efforts by the Human Rights Campaign The creation of local LGBTQ Read More

Recently, a federal judge in Michigan ruled that a lawsuit challenging the power of religious affiliated adoption agencies can proceed. The ACLU is attempting to bar state-contracted child placement agencies from discriminating against same-sex couples. While it remains uncertain how this case will be resolved, it has the potential to significantly affect Michigan’s laws, which Read More

Recently in Indiana, a Catholic high school teacher was placed on administrative leave after it was determined that she had had a same-sex marriage. The school responded that workers are expected to support the Catholic Church’s doctrines including that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Later, the teacher communicated through Facebook that Read More