This afternoon I attended the last presentation of the season by Peoples’ Symphony Concerts, the remarkable solo and chamber music series presented at Town Hall (Sundays) and Washington Irving High School (Saturdays). This after we had the Tempest Trio, a relatively new ensemble formed by three distinguished soloists, Violinist Ilya Kaler, Cellist Amid Peled, and Pianist Alon Goldstein. They performed Beethoven’s Trio in Bb, Op. 11, Bernstein’s Trio, and Dvorak’s Trio No. 3, Op. 65, … <Read More>
City Center Encores! – Irma La Douce
I attended the matinee performance of City Center Encores!’ performance of Irma La Douce on May 10. I’ve been a fan of this series for many years, and I find that most of the productions are a pleasure to attend, but I was not particularly impressed by Imra La Douce. I don’t put this down to the production itself. They constructed a terrific set — more elaborate than usual for this series — and all … <Read More>
Arkansas Judge Strikes Down State Ban on Same-Sex Marriage in a Case of “Epic Constitutional Dimensions”
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Christopher Charles Piazza ruled on May 9 that Arkansas’s same-sex marriage ban violates the 14th Amendment of the federal constitution as well as Article 2, Section 3 of the Arkansas Constitution’s Declaration of Rights. Judge Piazza, who made no mention of a stay in his ruling, waited until after county clerk offices had closed on Friday afternoon to release his decision in the case of M. Kendall Wright v. Nathaniel Smith. … <Read More>
Sigh of Relief for Law Prof Sued for Defamation and Invasion of Privacy Due to Law Review Article and Lecture
Law professors publish law review articles in which they may discuss cases pending in the courts. Such discussions may relate what the plaintiffs are alleging and then theorize about how the courts might treat such claims. When a professor includes the names of the parties in the lawsuit, and one of them feels that the professor’s discussion could be harmful to the party’s reputation and lead people to take an unfavorable view of them, should … <Read More>
Indiana Federal Court Grants Preliminary Injunction for One Plaintiff Couple in Marriage Recognition Case
U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young (S.D. Indiana) issued a preliminary injunction on May 8 in Baskin v. Bogan, requiring Indiana officials to recognize the same-sex marriage of Nikole Quasney and Amy Sandler. Unlike the temporary restraining order that Judge Young had previously issued in this case that was to expire on May 8, the preliminary injunction will remain in effect until the court decides the complete case on the merits, unless it is stayed … <Read More>
Cultural Diary: April 27-May 6 – Ups and Downs…
On April 27, I attended a performance by the extraordinary new music band, Alarm Will Sound, directed by Alan Pierson at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall as part of the series “collected stories” curated by composer David Lang. Lang’s series extended over a week of concerts, with this one come towards the end. The idea of this program was to bring together some diverse examples of music intended to illustrate a story of some sort, in … <Read More>
Federal Court Rejects Discrimination Claim Against Catholic Hospital’s Refusal to Cover Same-Sex Spouse Under Employee Benefit Plan
Although both the federal government and the state of New York recognize same-sex marriages, and the state of New York prohibits discrimination against same-sex married couples, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled on May 1 that a woman whose Catholic hospital employer refused to enroll her wife in the employee health insurance plan could not sue under the federal employee benefits law. U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Roman granted a motion to dismiss by Empire … <Read More>
San Antonio Judge Will Hear Lesbian Divorce and Custody Case
Rejecting a motion by the Respondent to dismiss a divorce and child custody action, Bexar County (Texas) District Court Judge Barbara Hanson Nellermoe ruled on April 22 in A.L.F.L. v. K.L.L., No. 2014-CI-02421 (Bexar County, 438th Jud. Dist.), that a lesbian couple married in Washington, D.C., in 2010 could get a divorce in Texas, their current state of residence, because Texas laws banning the recognition of same-sex marriages are unconstitutional. She ruled that Texas’ refusal … <Read More>
Alaska Supreme Court Confirms That Marriage Amendment Does Not Affect Right to Equal Benefits for Same-Sex Couples
The Alaska Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision on April 25, holding that same-sex couples living in Alaska are entitled to the same real estate tax break under state law that is given to married couples, and that nothing in Alaska’s marriage amendment, which provides that same-sex marriages are neither legal nor recognized in Alaska, would prevent that result. State of Alaska v. Schmidt, 2014 Alaska LEXIS 76, Opinion No. 6898 (April 25, 2014). Ironically, … <Read More>
Jo Becker’s “Forcing the Spring: Inside the Fight for Marriage Equality”
Jo Becker’s book about the Proposition 8 lawsuit that restored same-sex marriage to California was released this week to near-unanimous condemnation from gay bloggers and critics. I am providing a partial dissent here, having just finished reading the book. I think at least some of the criticism misses the mark, because it faults the book for not being the book that the bloggers and critics wanted.
Part of the fault belongs with Becker and her … <Read More>