Appeals court ruling expected to send same-sex marriage issue to high court

The New York Times reports, “The likelihood that the Supreme Court will weigh in on same-sex marriage in the coming year grew markedly on Tuesday when a federal appeals court rejected a request to review its own recent ruling throwing out a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California.” The ruling “came less than a… read more…

Federal Judge Blocks Jail’s Post-Card Only Policy

A federal judge in Oregon has granted a preliminary injunction to prevent the implementation of a jail policy that would restrict inmate mail to a postcard: The Columbia County Jail instituted the postcard-only policy in March 2010 for both incoming and outgoing mail. The policy led to the censorship of many magazines and other publications,… read more…

Actos may be linked to increased risk of bladder cancer

Reuters has reported that, according to a study published online in BMJ, the diabetes medication Actos (pioglitazone) may be linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer. HealthDay has reported that investigators “collected data on nearly 116,000 people treated for diabetes from 1988 to 2009 and listed in the General Practice Research Database, which contains… read more…

Discrimination suits increase as definition of “disability” expands

The Washington Times reports, “The number of employment discrimination lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has nearly doubled in the past five years and seen a sharp increase in recent months, federal court records show, as the definition of ‘disability’ has expanded and what many believe are baseless lawsuits are filed. The increase… read more…

Court of Appeals Strikes Down Defense of Marriage Act

The AP reports from Boston, “In its unanimous ruling, the three-judge panel of the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said the 1996 law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman discriminates against gay couples because it doesn’t give them the same rights and privileges as heterosexual couples…. read more…