Robert M. Cover Public Interest Retreat 2011: Registration OPEN

Registration is now open for the 24th annual Robert M. Cover Public Interest Retreat. Click here to register.

"Every year, public interest law students, professors, and practitioners from the Eastern, Mid-Eastern, and Southern United States gather together at the Robert M. Cover Public Interest Law Retreat to network, strategize, and socialize in a beautiful, secluded setting.  

The retreat brings to life the vision of Robert Cover, a Yale Law School professor and social change activist. Cover’s vision encompassed four principal goals: 1) to connect students with common goals and interests from across the country; 2) to create a network of professors, peers, and practitioners for students headed toward careers in public interest; 3) to provide a forum for discussions about change and growth pertaining to public interest law; and 4) to provide a platform for change in the public interest sector and perceptions about public interest law."

OUTlaw/Gender & Sexuality Studies general interest meeting

OUTlaw will be having our last meeting of the fall semester on Tuesday November 30th at noon in room 2.  This meeting will also be a general interest meeting for those who would like to learn more about WNEC Law's new Gender & Sexuality Studies concentration. Professors Shay and Levi will be at the meeting to tell us more about the concentration.

WNEC Law Announces New Concentration: Gender & Sexuality Studies

WNEC OUTlaw is excited to share with our readers that on Friday November 12, 2010 the proposed Gender & Sexuality Studies concentration was passed by the WNEC Law faculty with a unanimous vote. Professors Taylor Flynn and Jennifer Levi will be the co-advisors of the new concentration. Any interested students can attend a general interest meeting about the new concentration hosted by OUTlaw. The date and time are to be determined. Please check back for additional information.

Anti-bullying message from the NOH8 campaign

Be heard... and please share.

Facebook Frenzy: "My Son is Gay"

This article has been popping up on Facebook news feeds for a few days now. It's written by a mom whose son wants to dress up as Daphne from Scooby Doo for Halloween and what she experienced at the hands of other moms after allowing him to do so. Read it here.

3 Judges dismissed by Iowa voters over same-sex marriage ruling

Judges in Iowa are kept on for additional terms through the election process. Last night, three judges were dismissed based on their fair and impartial ruling in the case that legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa (Varnum v. Brien 763 N.W.2d 862). Generally, the judges are kept on for additional terms without any news buzz at all, but this year the process became unusually politicized. Outside organizations like the National Organization for Marriage played a large role in politicizing what should be the neutral role of the judiciary. Read the New York Times article for a closer look at what happened in Iowa.

Purple Day, Movie Night

Remember to wear purple on Wednesday October 20th in memory of the LGBTQ lives lost to suicide. If you have anything purple, please see Erika Scibelli to get your piece of the purple.

Please also join OUTlaw for pizza and a movie at 5pm in Room 2 to conclude our day of remembrance.

Logic Gayms

Take a look at WNEC OUTlaw member Armand Cortellesso's blog post memorializing Matthew Shepard's passing. It's absolutely worth the read.

CA Federal Judge tells government to stop enforcing DADT

From MSNBC.com

"RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A federal judge Tuesday ordered the government to stop banning openly gay men and women from serving in the military under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips found the policy unconstitutional in September. On Tuesday, she rejected an Obama administration request to delay an injunction and ordered enforcement of the 17-year-old policy permanently stopped.

The Justice Department has 60 days to appeal. Legal experts say the government is under no legal obligation to do so and they could let Phillips' ruling stand.

The federal government is reviewing the ruling and has no immediate comment, said Tracy Schmaler, spokesman for the Justice Department.

"Don't ask, don't tell" prohibits the military from asking about the sexual orientation of service members but bans those who are gay from serving openly. Under the 1993 policy, service men and women who acknowledge being gay or are discovered engaging in homosexual activity, even in the privacy of their own homes off base, are subject to discharge.

Phillips declared the law unconstitutional on Sept. 9 after a two-week nonjury trial and said she would issue a nationwide injunction. But she asked first for input from Department of Justice attorneys and the Log Cabin Republicans, the gay rights group that filed the lawsuit in 2004 to stop the ban's enforcement.

The Log Cabin Republicans asked her for an immediate injunction so the policy can no longer be used against any U.S. military personnel anywhere in the world.

"The order represents a complete and total victory for the Log Cabin Republicans and reaffirms the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians in the miltiary for fighting and dying for our country," said Dan Woods, an attorney for the Log Cabin group.

Government attorneys objected, saying such an abrupt change might harm military operations in a time of war. They had asked Phillips to limit her ruling to the members of the Log Cabin Republicans, a 19,000-member group that includes current and former military service members.

The Department of Justice attorneys also said Congress should decide the issue — not her court.

Phillips disagreed, saying the law doesn't help military readiness and instead has a "direct and deleterious effect" on the armed services by hurting recruiting during wartime and requiring the discharge of service members with critical skills and training.

She said the law violates the free-speech and due process rights of service members after listening to the testimonies of military officers who have been discharged under the policy.
Legal experts say the Obama administration could choose to not appeal her ruling to end the ban — but Department of Justice attorneys are not likely to stay mum since Obama has made it clear he wants Congress to repeal the policy.

"The president has taken a very consistent position here, and that is: 'Look, I will not use my discretion in any way that will step on Congress' ability to be the sole decider about this policy here,' " said Diane H. Mazur, legal co-director of the Palm Center, a think tank at the University of California at Santa Barbara that supports a repeal.

Gay rights advocates say they worry they lost a crucial opportunity to change the law when Senate Republicans opposed the defense bill earlier this month because of a "don't ask, don't tell" repeal provision.

If Democrats lose seats in the upcoming elections, repealing the ban could prove even more difficult — if not impossible — next year.

Woods said the administration should be seizing the opportunity to let a judge do what politics has been unable to do.

The Associated Press and NBC News contributed to this story. "

The Trevor Project: National Moment of Silence TONIGHT

Please participate in a National Moment of Silence for the LGBTQ youths we've lost this week to suicide.

Moment of Silence- 8p.m