U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Parker, who was appointed to the Western District of Tennessee bench by President Donald J. Trump, issued a ruling on June 2 holding that Tennessee’s recently adopted “Adult Entertainment Act” (AEA), which was intended to restrict drag shows, violates the First Amendment. Judge Parker previously issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) in March to stop the law from going into effect before he could rule on the merits of the … <Read More>
strict scrutiny
Federal Court Says Ohio Must Let Transgender People Correct Their Birth Certificates
U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson ruled on December 16 that Ohio’s refusal to issue corrected birth certificates for transgender people violates the United States Constitution. Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union sued state officials on behalf of four transgender plaintiffs whose attempts to get their birth certificates changed to correctly identify their gender had been thwarted. Ray v. McCloud, Case No. 2:18-cv-272 (S.D. Ohio).
At the time Lambda sued two years ago, … <Read More>
Federal Court Dismisses Challenge to Maryland Law Against Conversion Therapy for Minors
On September 20, U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow of the federal district court in Maryland granted that state’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Liberty Counsel on behalf of a conversion therapy practitioner who was challenging the state’s recently enacted law that provides that “a mental health or child care practitioner may not engage in conversion therapy with an individual who is a minor.” The ban is enforceable through the professional licensing process … <Read More>