Obama administration expands push against voter laws
Washington (CNN) –– The Obama administration is expanding its push to stop what it calls "restrictive state laws" over the ability of voters to cast ballots.
The Justice Department said it was filing legal briefs in support of separate, private lawsuits against Wisconsin and Ohio.
Appeals court rejects Virginia same-sex marriage ban
(CNN) - A federal appeals court on Monday struck down Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage in another legal victory for gay and lesbian couples seeking the right to legally wed.
"We recognize that same-sex marriage makes some people deeply uncomfortable. However, inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process and equal protection of the laws," the divided three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit in Richmond concluded.
Kentucky leaders go in opposite directions on same-sex marriage appeal
(CNN) - Kentucky's governor will hire outside lawyers to appeal a federal judge's ruling on same-sex marriage, after the state attorney tearfully refused Tuesday to take part in further legal challenges.
The ruling requires officials to formally recognize legal marriages among gays and lesbians performed outside the state.
Court delays Obamacare contraception mandate for 2 nonprofits
Updated 2:51 p.m. ET, 1/1/2014
(CNN) - The Supreme Court has temporarily delayed key requirements of the Affordable Care Act impacting religious-affiliated groups, accelerating another high-stakes legal test for the sweeping law championed by President Barack Obama.
In a surprising twist just hours before the start of the New Year when most major rules of Obamacare were set to take effect, Justice Sonia Sotomayor exempted two Catholic Church-affiliated nonprofits from having to provide contraceptive coverage to employees of face fines for non-compliance.
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Provisional ballots could be key if Ohio margin razor thin
(CNN) - Why does Ohio matter?
When it comes to deciding the presidential race, you have probably heard the oft-mentioned narrative: No Republican candidate in recent memory has claimed victory without first winning the Buckeye State. And a diverse state like Ohio, with 18 electoral votes, has long been evenly split between the two parties.
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Florida Democrats file suit to extend early voting period
CNN - Florida Democrats have asked a federal judge to order an immediate extension of early voting hours, citing "unprecedented voter turnout," especially in the southern part of the state.
The lawsuit filed Sunday in Miami seeks an emergency injunction to give voters a greater opportunity to cast ballots in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties. Early voting in the state had ended Saturday.
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Administration says Indiana law violates Medicaid rules
WASHINGTON (CNN)–The Obama administration is attempting to block Indiana from enforcing a new law that would keep low-income women from using federal Medicaid benefits to receive any kind of reproductive medical care from Planned Parenthood.
The Department of Health and Human Services notified state officials of its decision by letter on Wednesday. The restrictive state law signed last month by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels was designed to keep clinics run by the private group from performing abortions, because any that did so would lose virtually all Medicaid-funded business.
FULL STORYJudge rejects motion to dismiss lawsuit against health care law
(CNN) - A federal judge in Florida on Thursday rejected a motion by the government to dismiss some counts of a multi-state challenge to the sweeping health care reform signed into law by President Barack Obama earlier this year.
The ruling by Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson means the lawsuit filed by attorneys general from Florida and 19 other states can proceed on questions of whether the health care law is constitutional in requiring citizens to obtain health care coverage or face financial penalties, as well as forcing states to expand Medicaid.
Vinson threw out four other counts of the lawsuit.
California ban on same-sex marriage struck down
WASHINGTON (CNN) - In a much-anticipated ruling issued Thursday, the California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional.
Several gay and lesbian couples, along with the city of San Francisco and gay rights groups, sued to overturn state laws allowing only marriages between a man and a woman.
"There can be no doubt that extending the designation of marriage to same-sex couples, rather than denying it to all couples, is the equal protection remedy that is most consistent with our state's general legislative policy and preference," said the 120-page ruling.
Election Center: Find out where the candidates stand on same-sex marriage
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