skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Time for an Openly Gay High Court Justice?

play audio
Play

Tuesday, May 19, 2009   

Albany, NY - It could be a big first for the highest court in the land. Either Pam Karlan or Kathleen Sullivan, who are Stanford law professors who both worked in New York – and who are openly gay - could be appointed by President Obama to the seat on the U.S. Supreme Court being vacated by Justice David Souter.

That's a prospect that's appealing to activist David Kilmnick.

"I think it's an absolutely wonderful day in our country's history that we have two individuals, who are openly gay and certainly well-accomplished in their field, being considered for a Supreme Court Justice."

Kilmnick, chief executive of Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY), says it shows the country has come a long way - but it will have "arrived" when no one cares about a Justice's sexual orientation.

Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, which will hold the confirmation hearings, has said he wouldn't automatically be opposed to an openly-gay nominee but would object to one who wanted "to promote a political agenda."

Kilmnick says he would expect Sullivan or Karlan to bring only a commitment to equality to the post.

"Equality is not an agenda. Equal rights is not an agenda. Equal rights is something that everyone should have in this country. These two individuals are well-accomplished, have done incredible things with their careers, and that's what it should be based upon. And also, you know, we should be bringing some diversity to the Supreme Court."

Justice Souter says he will resign when the current Court term ends in June.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021