Congratulations to incoming 1Ls!

Congratulations to all the 1Ls who will be attending WNEC Law beginning in August! WNEC is a tight-knit community and those of us at OUTlaw are looking forward to meeting you. Please feel free to email us with any questions, concerns, or comments at outlaw.wnec@gmail.com. We will be sure to keep you updated as we start planning events for the upcoming academic year.

Iceland legalizes same-sex marriage; Prime Minister weds

From the Associated Press:

"REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Iceland's prime minister has married her partner under a new law legalizing same-sex marriage in the country.

One of her advisers, Hrannar B. Arnarsson, said Monday Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir and writer Jonina Leosdottir were officially married Sunday, the day the law came into force.

The pair has been in a registered partnership since 2002 and had applied to have it converted into a marriage under the new law. No ceremony was held.

The law was passed without a dissenting vote in Iceland's parliament June 11.

Social Democrat Sigurdardottir, 68, became Iceland's prime minister last year, after the previous center-right government was ousted by a wave of protest triggered by the country's economic crisis."

Pride: Why we celebrate

As the Pride season draws to a close, let's take a moment to remember why we celebrate.
Stonewall: 1969

2010-2011 Academic Year

Course schedules have been posted for the 2010-2011 academic year. Registration starts July 7th at noon on ASAP.
Fall 2010
Spring 2011

Reuters: U.S. court won't keep secret gay marriage opponents

Reuters reports:

"The high court's 8-1 ruling was a defeat for a group called Protect Marriage Washington. It had argued that public disclosure could lead to threats, harassment or reprisal.

More than 138,000 individuals signed a petition in 2009 to put a referendum on the state ballot that would have overturned a new state law extending the benefits of marriage to couples registered as domestic partners. The referendum failed.

Some supporters of gay rights had vowed to put the names of those who signed the petition on the Internet.

Lawyers for the group argued that the signers' constitutional right to political free-speech under the First Amendment trumped the state's public records law.

A federal judge initially agreed with the group that disclosure of the names and addresses violated constitutional protections of anonymous political speech.

But a U.S. appeals court ruled the names could be made public and said the signatures had been gathered in public with no promise of confidentiality.

In the majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court ruled that disclosure of referendum petitions generally does not violate any free-speech rights.

Only Justice Clarence Thomas dissented.

The Supreme Court case is Doe v. Reed, 09-559."

Closing Arguments: Prop. 8 Trial in San Francisco

Howard Mintz maintained a live blog throughout the Prop. 8 trial and is now doing the same for closing arguments. Check this link throughout the day for updates.