LGBTQ Rights
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida v. Raymond Rodrigues
The University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine filed a lawsuit on November 16, 2023, challenging the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida’s order to state universities to deactivate the student group. This order threatens the students’ constitutionally-protected right to free speech and association in violation of the First Amendment. The ACLU and its partners are seeking a preliminary injunction that would bar the Chancellor and the University of Florida from deactivating the UF SJP.
Status: Ongoing
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Maryland
Nov 2023
Tamer Mahmoud v. Monifa McKnight
On October 30, 2023, the ACLU and ACLU of Maryland filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit supporting the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in its efforts to ensure that its English curriculum is LGBTQ-inclusive.
Status: Ongoing
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2020
R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v EEOC & Aimee Stephens
Aimee Stephens had worked for nearly six years as a funeral director at R.G. and G.R. Harris Funeral Homes when she informed the funeral home’s owner that she is a transgender woman. She was fired, the EEOC sued on her behalf, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Aimee’s employer engaged in unlawful sex discrimination when it fired her because she’s transgender. We represented Aimee Stephens in front of the U.S. Supreme Court — and won.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2019
Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda
Don Zarda loved to skydive. He worked as a skydiving instructor at Altitude Express, a company on Long Island, N.Y. He was fired for being gay.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2018
Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
Whether a business open to the public has a constitutional right to discriminate.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2015
Obergefell, et al. v. Hodges - Freedom to Marry in Ohio
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio and Alphonse Gerhardstein of Gerhardstein & Branch have filed suit on behalf of Jim Obergefell and David Michener, two widowers, and Robert Grunn, a funeral director, in a challenge to the Ohio constitutional and statutory marriage recognition bans.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2015
Bourke v. Beshear & Love v. Beshear - Freedom to Marry in Kentucky
Bourke v. Beshear is a federal court challenge to Kentucky's constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples, filed by attorneys at Clay Daniel Walton & Adams and Fauver Law Office on July 26, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The plaintiffs are four same-sex couples seeking state recognition of their out-of-state marriages.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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177 LGBTQ Rights Cases
Michigan
Oct 2011
Ward v. Wilbanks et al.
A student in a counseling program claims a right to discriminate against clients who wish to discuss same-sex relationships on the grounds that it violates her religious beliefs.
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Michigan
LGBTQ Rights
Religious Liberty
Ward v. Wilbanks et al.
A student in a counseling program claims a right to discriminate against clients who wish to discuss same-sex relationships on the grounds that it violates her religious beliefs.
Oct 2011
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Wisconsin
Sep 2011
Fields v. Smith
(Formerly Sundstrom v. Frank)
Transgender prisoners are barred from medical treatment.
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Wisconsin
LGBTQ Rights
Fields v. Smith
(Formerly Sundstrom v. Frank)
Transgender prisoners are barred from medical treatment.
Sep 2011
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Pennsylvania
Aug 2011
Wiessmann v. State College Area School District - (PA Domestic Partner Benefits)
Challenge to public school policy that grants health care benefits to domestic partners of employees only if the partners are not of the same sex.
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Pennsylvania
LGBTQ Rights
Wiessmann v. State College Area School District - (PA Domestic Partner Benefits)
Challenge to public school policy that grants health care benefits to domestic partners of employees only if the partners are not of the same sex.
Aug 2011
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Arkansas
Apr 2011
Cole v. Arkansas
VICTORY! On April 7, 2011, the Arkansas Supreme Court upheld a ruling striking down Act 1, a law prohibiting adoption by unmarried couples.
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Arkansas
LGBTQ Rights
Cole v. Arkansas
VICTORY! On April 7, 2011, the Arkansas Supreme Court upheld a ruling striking down Act 1, a law prohibiting adoption by unmarried couples.
Apr 2011
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U.S. Supreme Court
Mar 2011
Cooley v. Forrest County Sheriff’s Department
Andre Cooley, a corrections officer for juvenile detainees at the Sheriff's Department in Forrest County, Mississippi, was fired when his supervisors discovered that he was gay.
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U.S. Supreme Court
LGBTQ Rights
Cooley v. Forrest County Sheriff’s Department
Andre Cooley, a corrections officer for juvenile detainees at the Sheriff's Department in Forrest County, Mississippi, was fired when his supervisors discovered that he was gay.
Mar 2011
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