Anti-gay marriage amendment faces hurdle in Indiana General Assembly
INDIANAPOLIS An effort to amend the Indiana Constitution to ban same-sex marriage faces a pivotal hurdle in the General Assembly this year, but whether it advances could hinge on the willingness of House leaders to take it up in a session in which property taxes are the top priority.
Sen. Brandt Hershman, who has helped the proposal pass the Senate three times, has again filed a resolution calling for the amendment. But Hershman said the House should take up the issue first.
Rep. Eric Turner, a Republican from Gas City, plans to file the proposal in the Democrat-controlled House.
House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, said Tuesday, Jan. 8, that he is willing to assign the proposal to a committee for consideration. But he has said repeatedly that he doesn’t see the need for the constitutional amendment when state law already bans such unions.
Amending Indiana’s constitution requires a resolution to pass consecutive, separately elected General Assemblies and then be approved in a statewide vote.
The Legislature first passed the proposal in 2005, when Republicans controlled both chambers. It was approved in the Republican-ruled Senate last session but failed to pass a Democrat-controlled committee on a 5-5 vote.
If the proposal passes this session, it would be eligible for a statewide vote in the 2008 general election. If not, the amendment process would have to start from scratch, and the earliest it could be eligible for a statewide vote would be 2012.
Supreme Court refuses appeal in “‘Dykes on Bikes’ trademark case
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from California lawyer Michael McDermott, who claimed the name “Dykes on Bikes,” used by a group of lesbian motorcyclists, was “scandalous and immoral” and disparaged lesbians and men.
He challenged the lawsuit to challenge January 2006 decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that granted the San Francisco Women’s Motorcycle Contingent exclusive rights to the name it has used for more than 30 years.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., which rules on patent and trademark issues, dismissed McDermott’s case in July, saying he could not demonstrate how he would be harmed by the name.
Congregation that left Presbyterian church sues to avoid seizure of property
PITTSBURGH A local church that voted to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) has filed a lawsuit seeking to bar any threat of seizure of its property by the local presbytery as it joins a more conservative denomination.
The Memorial Park Presbyterian Church, the largest church in the Pittsburgh Presbytery, sought to confirm its title to 7.5 acres of land and ownership of buildings in McCandless Township in the lawsuit filed Friday, Jan. 4, in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.
The church filed suit after its governing body voted unanimously on Jan. 2 to disaffiliate from the presbytery following nearly a year of negotiations.
Memorial Park’s congregation, which was established 64 years ago and has 1,675 members, will vote on whether to disaffiliate during regular weekend services Jan. 19-20.
Judge denies motion to overturn guilty plea in lesbian triangle murder
MADISON, Ind. A judge has denied a motion to overturn the guilty plea of a woman serving 60 years in prison for the 1992 torture-murder of a 12-year-old girl.
Melinda Loveless, now 32, contended at a hearing last month that she received ineffective legal counsel and signed a plea deal under duress, believing she might face execution.
Jefferson Circuit Judge Ted Todd denied the motion Tuesday, Jan. 8.
Mark Small, Loveless’ lawyer, said the decision will be appealed.
Loveless, then 16, was among four teenage girls who abducted Shanda Renee Sharer of New Albany, tortured her and set her on fire in a dispute stemming from a lesbian triangle.
She testified that she didn’t remember most of the legal proceedings before she signed the plea deal that sent her to prison. However, she said that at the time she was told she would be sentenced to death if she did not sign the agreement.
Loveless will be eligible for parole in 15 years.
New Jersey Assembly votes to toughen hate crimes, bullying laws
TRENTON, N.J. The state Assembly on Monday, Jan. 7, overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen the state’s hate crime and bullying laws.
The bill, which had passed in the state Senate unanimously, now heads to desk of Gov. Jon S. Corzine. He is expected to sign it into law.
The measure amends an existing bias intimidation law by adding the terms “gender identity” and “national origin” to the list of classes of protected people under the statute.
New Jersey’s hate crime law already provided protection for individuals based on race, color, religion, gender, handicap, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 11, 2008