By Lisa Keen
WISCONSIN MARRIAGES CONTINUE: U.S. District Court Judge Barbara
Crabb denied a motion Monday from the Wisconsin attorney general for a
stay in her June 6 ruling that the state ban on same-sex couples marrying is
unconstitutional. But in an odd twist, Crabb told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"I never said anything about whether any county clerk could go forward and
issue a marriage license. That hasn't been decided." Crabb's June 6 decision in
Wolf v. Walker indicated she would issue an order later this month concerning
enforcement of her ruling. But clerks in about half the counties around Wisconsin
began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples last Friday. The next hearing
for the case is June 19.
LONE CLERK SEEKS PENNSYLVANIA APPEAL: Taking a cue from a county
clerk in Virginia, a county clerk in Pennsylvania petitioned a federal court judge
Friday to allow her to appeal the judge's decision striking the state's ban on same-
sex couples marrying. Judge John Jones III issued his opinion in Whitewood
v. Wolf on May 20, and Republican Governor Tom Corbett said he would not
appeal. Private attorneys filed both the motion to intervene and a motion to stay
Jones' ruling on behalf of Theresa Santai-Gaffney, register of wills for Schuylkill
County.
MAJORITY AGREES ON CORBETT NON-APPEAL: A poll showed that 56
percent of 835 Pennsylvania registered voters agreed with Republican Governor
Tom Corbett's decision not to appeal a federal district court opinion striking
down the state's ban on same-sex couples marrying. The poll, by Public Policy
Polling, was conducted May 30 to June 1, just one week after Corbett announced
he would not appeal the decision. According to realclearpolitics.com, Corbett
has been trailing his Democratic challenger Tom Wolf by more than 20 points
in various polls. Wolf's campaign website prominently touts his support for
marriage equality.
WENDY DAVIS WOULD SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER: Texas' Democratic
gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis told gay reporter John Wright in the
Observer last week that she would be willing to sign an executive order to ban
discrimination based on sexual orientation, though she suggested the governor's
power to implement such an order is fairly limited. Davis has been running about
12 points behind Republican attorney general Greg Abbott in the race, according
to realclearpolitics.com.
MASSACHUSETTS AG POLL MOSTLY UNDECIDED: Lesbian attorney Maura
Healey held a three-point lead over former state Senator Warren Tolman in a
recent poll for the Massachusetts Democratic primary for attorney general. The
June 4-7 Suffolk University poll surveyed 450 likely primary voters and had
a plus-or-minus 3.5 margin of error. It showed Healey, in her first electoral
run, with 21 percent, and Tolman with 18 percent. But the vast majority of
respondents, 59 percent, said they were "undecided." Two percent refused to
answer. Male voters are split between the two; but women voters are leaning
Healey.
NO MORE AUTOMATIC DENIALS: An administrative appeals board at the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ruled recently that automatic
denial of Medicare coverage for transsexual surgery as a treatment "is not valid
under the 'reasonableness standard'." The ruling means transgender people
seeking treatment for gender dysphoria will be able to have their applications
for coverage considered "just like anyone seeking coverage for any other medical
treatment," noted a joint statement from GLAD, the National Center for Lesbian
Rights, and the ACLU. The HHS Departmental Appeals Board decision was
made in an appeal from an "aggrieved party." ABC News identified the person as
a 74-year-old Army veteran who said she hopes to spend the rest of her life "in
congruence and not distress."
