The Virginia Supreme Court recently ruled that a transgender inmate at the Federal Correctional Complex in Petersburg may be entitled to change her name to reflect her identity. In making its decision, the court held that the Petersburg Circuit Court had erred in denying the inmate’s application for a name change without considering the merits. Read More

The Montana Supreme Court recently struck down a tax credit for donations that fund scholarships for students at private schools on the basis that these credits are a type of unconstitutional aid offered to attend religiously affiliated schools. In its decision, the court said that the $150 tax credit is designed to aid private schools Read More

A federal judge in Idaho recently held that the state must provide gender reassignment surgery to a transgender inmate who has been living as a woman for some time but who is currently housed in a men’s prison. As a result of the decision, the inmate will become the first in Idaho to receive gender Read More

  Earlier this year, Montevallo, Alabama passed an ordinance protecting individuals from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in relationship to housing, employment discrimination, and public accommodations. This is an historic event because Montevallo is only the second city in Alabama to pass an ordinance of this kind. Alabama is one Read More

There are a few dominant religions that span multiple continents and have millions of believers worldwide.  Catholicism is one of them, and it has had a resurgence not only in newsworthy headlines but also in popularity due to the emergence of a strong, charismatic and compassionate leader.  Pope Francis I, previously known as Jorge Mario Read More

A man in Tucson recently announced legal action against the Social Security Administration for failure to pay spousal survivor benefits after the death of his same sex partner. The man claimed that he would have married his deceased partner in the early 1970s if it had been legal to do so. Instead, the two men Read More

What happened when one of the most influential judicial individuals in the country started discussing his position on a topic that was not currently in front of his court? Aside from making several reporters very happy to have a good headline, much speculation began to circulate about the state of the law surrounding that topic. Read More

In a recent court filing, the Department of Justice announced plans to ask the United States Supreme Court to review President Trump’s ban on military service for transgender individuals. The Department of Justice announced that it plans to file a request before the Supreme Court by November 23, which means that the justices would be Read More

After the 2016 election of Donald Trump, a handful of fliers were posted at the University of California Los Angeles promoting a “white student group,” which was a group that was not affiliated with the college. The fliers, several of which were found taped to buildings, listed a website, a Twitter account, and an e-mail Read More

A complaint was recently filed against Muskegon Community College because it included a religious prayer at its 2018 graduation ceremony. The complaint was initiated by the Michigan Association of Civil Rights Activists in response to a prayer that was delivered during the 2018 graduation ceremony by a master of ceremonies. The Content of the Speech Read More