Free Republic

The Obama administration threw its support behind a broad claim for marriage equality on Thursday, and urged the Supreme Court to rule that voters in California were not entitled to ban same-sex marriage in that state. In a sweeping argument, the administration argued that denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause, and that any ban on same-sex marriage should be subjected to a test known as “heightened scrutiny” – a test that the law would be likely to fail. That argument is similar to the one made in the administration’s brief in...

(AP) MADISON -- Rock music legend Elton John has donated $20,000 to a group trying to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage in Wisconsin, according to a campaign filing on Monday. Voters will decide the issue Nov. 7. John made the donation to Fair Wisconsin Oct. 23, according to its report with the state Elections Board. The donation was among those that helped the group raise $2.5 million between July 1 and Oct. 23. The group has been running television advertisements noting that the proposed amendment would also ban civil unions comparable to marriage, which...