Legal Niches

US to Ban Guatemalan Adoptions?

Posted on March 12, 2007
The US Government has proposed banning all adoptions from Guatemala because of widespread abuses and ethical concerns there. While I haven't personally handled any Guatemalan adoptions, I know of several couples and single parents who have adopted there...

Recent Article in Gay City News

Posted on March 06, 2007
I'm quoted in this article in Gay City News about gay adoptions and the New York Archdiocese. Should have posted on it sooner. Oops.

Ex Immigration Judge Slams Gonzalez

Posted on February 28, 2007
Some parting shots from former Immigration Judge Bruce Einhorn directed at Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Einhorn, in a profile after his retirement from the bench, stated that he find[s] it somewhat presumptuous that a government official who signed off on a memorandum which described certain anti-torture provisions of the Geneva Convention as quaint would then lecture judges on the need to show compassion for the foreign-born...

US Government May Be Secretly Reading Your Email

Posted on February 21, 2007
PBS' weekly program Now broadcast a report Friday that makes a compelling case that the government is intercepting and storing MOST emails sent in the US. Watch the show here.

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USCIS Changes Policy for Asylum Green Card Holders

Posted on January 22, 2007
The Federal government posted a new policy on its website concerning resident aliens who obtained their green card through asylum. Now, such aliens risk losing their status if they return home even for a short visit--for a funeral, for example. This is a surprising shift in policy and leads me to question whether it is outside the bounds of the law...

Jamaican Lesbian Denied Asylum

Posted on January 04, 2007
A Federal appeals court in Philadelphia has denied the asylum claims of Jamaican lesbian Marcia Forrester, despite widespread violence and persecution of lesbians in Jamaica. The court wrote that "notwithstanding Forrester's obvious masculinity and lesbian status, she failed to offer any evidence that she was tortured or arrested on any of her four visits to Jamaica...

VA Court Rules That Vermont Should Decide Custody in Lesbian Case

Posted on November 28, 2006
The Virginia Court of Appeals ruled today that Virginia has no say in a custody dispute between former lesbian partners who used to reside in Vermont. This is a very sad case where one mom enlisted the help of a conservative anti-gay group to deny visitation rights to the non-biological mom and has dragged on for some time...

NJ Supreme Court Orders Gay Marriage

Posted on October 25, 2006
The New Jersey Supreme Court has just ruled that denying same-sex couples the right to marry is unconstitutional and directed the legislature to address this within 180 days. Huge victory, yadda-yadda-yadda. Here's the decision.

NY Times Details More Problems with Immigration Court

Posted on October 08, 2006
In a follow up to an article published over the summer, the New York Times today published an article detailing the pressures placed on the country's immigration judges. They note that there are only around 225 judges and that they deal with over 10,000 cases a year--all without much support...

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