Free Republic

Federal judge Donovan Frank has thrown out a lawsuit that sought to force state officials to check the eligibility of voters who register on Election Day before their ballots are counted. The suit, brought by the Minnesota Voters Alliance and others, says there is no way to pull back an ineligible vote after the fact and that allowing ineligible votes could affect the result in close races. Attorneys for the state argued it has no obligation to verify eligibility before counting votes and that trying to do so would not be practical. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie issued a statement...

In a major case involving gay rights at CalPERS, the nation's largest public pension fund has been ordered to offer its long-term care insurance program to same-sex partners of California workers. A federal judge in Oakland struck down portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that have prevented the California Public Employees' Retirement System from extending the insurance to gay spouses and domestic partners. In a ruling released Thursday, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken said the ban served no "legitimate governmental interest" and was apparently "motivated by anti-gay animus."

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina cannot withhold funding from Planned Parenthood until a lawsuit over that provision of the state budget has been resolved, a federal judge ruled late Friday. In a 35-page ruling, Judge James Beaty Jr. sided with Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, one of the state's two Planned Parenthood affiliates, in its effort to halt the portion of the state budget that would withhold funding for non-abortion services, a provision referred to throughout the judge's ruling as Section 10.19.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Vice President Walter Mondale is endorsing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, the Clinton campaign announced Sunday. "America is ready for change, and Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to deliver it," Mondale said in a statement released by the campaign. "Hillary is uniquely qualified to rebuild America's standing in the world and lead this nation from her first day in the White House." Mondale, a former U.S. senator from Minnesota, was vice president from 1977 to 1981 under President Carter. He was the Democratic nominee for president in 1984, but lost to Ronald Reagan...