Bay Area Reporter :: Legal News

US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

June 24, 2022 | by Lisa Keen

In a ruling that one legal activist said will put LGBTQ rights "on the chopping block," the U.S. Supreme Court Friday ruled 6-3 that the U.S. Constitution "does not prohibit" states from banning abortion.

SF gay man drops woman from libel suit

by Eric Burkett
May 16, 2022

Gay San Francisco health advocate Gary McCoy has dropped one of the defendants in the $1.9 million lawsuit he filed May 9 after she reposted a Twitter meme accusing McCoy of murdering 1,500 people at the Tenderloin Linkage Center.

Gay SF man sues for libel after tweet accuses him of murder

by Eric Burkett
May 11, 2022

After reposting a tweet falsely accusing gay San Francisco health advocate Gary McCoy of murdering 1,500 people at the Tenderloin Linkage Center, writer and personal finance guru Erica Sandberg now finds herself the defendant in a $1.9 million lawsuit.

Trans women prisoners in CA file to intervene in anti-trans lawsuit

by Eric Burkett
May 10, 2022

Four trans women currently incarcerated in California prisons have filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit that, if successful, would undermine their right to serve out their prison terms in women's prisons.

Roe to be overturned, leaked decision says

by Lisa Keen
May 3, 2022

In an unprecedented development, a leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on abortion indicates that the court is poised to overturn its two long-standing decisions protecting the right to abortion.

LGBTQ Agenda: LGBTQ group disappointed court rules diversity law is unconstitutional

by Eric Burkett
Apr 19, 2022

Members of LGBTQ and other minority business associations have expressed disappointment at a recent court decision that has ruled a California law aimed at increasing diversity on corporate boards is unconstitutional.

Prop 8 proponents appeal tape release to US Supreme Court

by John Ferrannini
Apr 5, 2022

Proponents of the overturned Proposition 8 have appealed a decision to release tapes of the 2010 San Francisco federal trial that first struck down California's same-sex marriage ban to the U.S. Supreme Court.

CA to see 2nd trans judge on state bench

by Matthew S. Bajko
Mar 25, 2022

With the appointment March 25 of Andi Mudryk to the Sacramento County Superior Court, California will now have two transgender judges serving on the state bench. Mudryk is the first trans person to be appointed to a judicial vacancy in the Golden State.

Gay actor Smollett sentenced to 150 days for lying about hate crime

by Brody Levesque, Washington Blade
Mar 11, 2022

Cook County Judge James Linn sentenced gay actor Jussie Smollett to 30 months of probation and 150 days in jail for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack that he staged.

Parole denied for man who murdered gay sailor in 1992

by Lou Chibbaro Jr., Washington Blade
Mar 10, 2022

A five-member U.S. Parole Commission voted 4-1 on March 7 to deny parole to a former U.S. Navy sailor sentenced to life in prison for the 1992 anti-gay murder of fellow U.S. Navy sailor Allen Schindler while the two were stationed in Japan.

Number of CA LGBTQ judges continues to climb

by Matthew S. Bajko
Mar 2, 2022

Under Governor Gavin Newsom the number of LGBTQ judges continues to climb on the California bench. Since he took office in 2019, the number of out jurists on state courts has increased by at least 30%.

Biden nominates Jackson for US Supreme Court

by Chris Johnson, Washington Blade
Feb 25, 2022

In a historic move, President Biden said February 25 that he is nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson, currently a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, as his choice for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Borkon sworn in as newest Alameda County judge

by Cynthia Laird
Feb 25, 2022

Peter E. Borkon took his oath of office Thursday afternoon, becoming the newest out judge on the Alameda County Superior Court.

Judge backs SF in Union Square surveillance lawsuit

by John Ferrannini
Feb 18, 2022

A San Francisco judge has sided with the city in a lawsuit alleging that the San Francisco Police Department illegally spied on protesters in Union Square.

Gay SF cop gets $225K in settlement of discrimination case

by Eric Burkett
Feb 14, 2022

Three years and seven months after a gay San Francisco cop filed a lawsuit against the City of San Francisco alleging workplace harassment and discrimination, his case has finally been settled.

News :: Legal