TPMDC Obama administration
Gay Marriage
Obama Administration Wouldn't Defend Blocking Military Benefits From Same-Sex Couples
The Obama Justice Department has concluded that legislation banning same-sex couples from receiving military and veterans benefits violates the equal protection component of the Fifth Amendment and will no longer defend the statute in court, Attorney General Eric Holder wrote in a letter to Congressional leaders on Friday.
"The legislative record of these provisions contains no rationale for providing veterans' benefits to opposite-sex couples of veterans but not to legally married same-sex spouses of veterans," Holder wrote. "Neither the Department of Defense nor the Department of Veterans Affairs identified any justifications for that distinction that would warrant treating these provisions differently from Section 3 of DOMA."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Eric Holder, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Gays in the military, Justice Department, Obama administration
Department of Justice
Obama Administration Expands Definition Of Rape
On Friday, the Justice Department did something it hasn't done since 1929: it changed the definition of rape.
For over 80 years, for the purposes of crime collection data, rape was defined as forcible male penile penetration of a female. This excluded a vast number of sexual crimes including oral and anal penetration, or instances when a victim was unable to give consent. The new definition makes up for these oversights. It also expands the definition to reflect that anyone -- male, female, or transgender -- can be a victim of rape.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Department of Justice, Obama administration, Valerie Jarrett
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