The Colorado Independent

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Justice/Civil Liberties

Colorado civil unions battle a heated all-Republican affair

By | 02.21.12 | 10:45 am

DENVER– At a state Senate committee hearing on a same-sex civil unions bill held here Wednesday, a series of witnesses battered Republican lawmakers opposed to the bill, suggesting they were confused in their ideology, nonstrategic in their thinking and enslaved to an outdated anti-gay “hateful bigoted mantra.” The harsh criticism came not from Democrats and their allies but from Republicans testifying in favor of the bill on the basis of conservative principles and out of partisan interest in the future success of the party.

Round-two Colorado civil unions debate opens at capitol

By | 02.15.12 | 12:19 pm

Denver Senator Pat Steadman’s re-introduced same-sex civil unions bill is being heard this afternoon in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Although the bill will be passed easily by the committee’s Democratic majority, the hearing will be the staging ground for this year’s arguments for and against it, drawing the attention of political analysts, members of the public and lawmakers in both chambers of the legislature looking to gauge the direction and intensity of political winds in an especially charged election year.

Pot advocates blast decision barring Coloradans on probation from using MMJ

By | 02.10.12 | 5:18 am

When the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled last week in People v. Watkins that Coloradans on probation do not have the right to use or possess medical marijuana, it shined a bright spotlight on the elephant in the room: when it comes to medical marijuana, legal doesn’t always mean legal.

Polis, gay-rights activists applaud latest court ruling finding Prop 8 unconstitutional

By | 02.07.12 | 12:48 pm

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday announced it was upholding an earlier court ruling that California’s Proposition 8 voter-passed ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. The decision sets the stage for another appeal, likely to the U.S. Supreme Court, and drew applause from gay-rights advocates buoyed by another clear legal victory. Openly gay Colorado Congressman Jared Polis declared the ruling a victory for American notions of justice and equality.

Pro-marijuana Montana legislator investigated by DEA

By | 02.06.12 | 5:02 am

In a case that has implications for Colorado and other medical marijuana states, Montana legislator Diane Sands has come under investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, but she doesn’t know why. She suspects the investigation is related to her advocacy of liberalized marijuana laws.

Marijuana signatures come up short, supporters have 15 days to get more

By | 02.03.12 | 4:32 pm

Today, the Colorado Secretary of State’s office announced that the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol did not collect enough valid signatures to be placed on the ballot in November. Only about another 2500 signatures are needed, however, and organizers have 15 days in which to collect the remaining signatures.

Second Colorado marijuana legalization initiative moving forward

By | 01.12.12 | 11:56 am

When it comes to marijuana, Colorado has been at the forefront for years and that will only intensify in the 10 months between now and election day.

FBI changes definition of rape after 85 years

By | 01.12.12 | 5:17 am

The FBI’s decision last week to revise the definition of rape for its annual Uniform Crime Reporting Program is being praised by sexual assault advocates and the LGBT community.

In blasting Obama recess appointments, Focus on the Family site turns to torture memos author John Yoo

By | 01.06.12 | 3:41 pm

CitizenLink, the Focus on the Family Christian news site based in Colorado Springs, weighed in Thursday on the latest political controversy winging out of Washington. The site reported that, in using “recess appointments” to fill three seats on the National Labor Relations Board and to place Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, President Obama had “stepped over a line and into history.” The CitizenLink reporter then turned to Georg W. Bush justice department attorney John Yoo, the author of the notorious 2002 War on Terror “torture memos,” to support the argument that the nation was witnessing a major unconstitutional power grab.

New rule would make it easier for immigrants to apply for legal status

By | 01.06.12 | 1:12 pm

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced a proposed rule change today that would allow immigrants with U.S. citizen spouses to submit a waiver of inadmissibility before returning to their country to attend their immigrant visa interview.

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