Senate passes landmark Respect for Marriage Act in bipartisan vote
The vote was 61-36, with a number of Republican senators choosing not to vote.
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The vote was 61-36, with a number of Republican senators choosing not to vote.
The momentum toward marriage equality grew stronger in 2013, as a sea change of public, legal, and political opinion on LGBT rights rippled across the country.
Chris covers to the verdict, media coverage, and political aftermath of the George Zimmerman trial, a Bay Area television station that wrongly reported the names of the crew in the plane crash at the San Francisco airport, and a proposed smoking ban on the Jersey shore beaches. He also talks to Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel and Michael Bronstein on the Monday Morning Matchup.
Chris continues his tour from the Jersey shore, this week from Brigantine. He discusses Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane's decision not to defend the commonwealth's version of the Defense of Marriage Act, the Department of Justice's role in organizing rallies around the George Zimmerman trial, and a poll that shows Hillary Clinton leading Chris Christie in a potential matchup for President in 2016. He talks to Steve Cordasco on Finance Friday and CBS 3's Lesley Van Arsdall.
On Thursday, Kane announced she will not defend the state's ban on gay and lesbian marriages from a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and a local law firm.
A distinguished panel of experts dissected last week's significant Supreme Court decisions at the National Constitution Center on Tuesday afternoon. The panel predicted far-reaching effects from the Court's action.
Chris assesses yesterday's rulings by the Supreme Court on gay marriage, the murder charges against former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, and an ad opposing privatization of Pennsylvania's state owned liquor stores produced by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. He also talks to Lyle Denniston from the National Constitution Center, John Hayward from Human Events, New Jersey Senate Candidate Steve Lonegan, and Comedian Chris Hardwick.
What could Wednesday's rulings mean for same-sex couples in our area?
In significant but incomplete victories for gay rights, the Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a provision of a U.S. law denying federal benefits to married gay couples and cleared the way for the resumption of same-sex marriage in the state of California.
The Catholic League, a New York-based staunch national opponent of gay marriage, says the US Supreme Court decisions affirming same-sex marriage are disappointing but not a total victory for the gay community.
The US Supreme Court will close its term today with a ruling on a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act, which blocks gay married couples from federal benefits, as well as California's Proposition 8 that bans gay marriage in that state.
Chris discusses the Supreme Court's hearings on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage act and debates whether or not hospitals should hire smokers. He talks to Adrian Benepe from the Trust for Public Land, John Lyles, the inventor of the Skull Shaver, gun rights attorney Evan Nappen, and the Brandywine Roller Girls.
In our area, local organizations on both sides of the gay marriage issue are watching the Supreme Court proceedings in Washington very closely.
The United States Supreme Court could decide today on whether to enter the battle over same sex marriage by taking one of several pending appeals. A local expert says the court almost has no choice but to enter the fray.
Gay rights activists in Philadelphia and elsewhere are praising President Obama's decision to stop supporting the "Defense of Marriage Act." That's the federal law that bans recognition of same-sex marriages.
