Free Republic

The federal judge who overturned California's same-sex marriage ban this week is a Republican who once came under fire for his membership to a powerful all-male club that had only recently allowed blacks to join. But after Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker struck down the voter-approved ban known as Proposition 8, he became something else in the minds of some: a gay activist. Rumors have circulated for months that Walker is gay, fueled by the blogosphere and a San Francisco Chronicle column that stated his sexual orientation was an "open secret" in legal and gay activism circles. Walker himself hasn't...

BOSTON -- A federal judge Thursday rejected a last-minute bid by conservative groups to block the nation's first state-sanctioned gay marriages from taking place in Massachusetts on Monday. U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro said the state's high court acted within its authority in interpreting the Massachusetts Constitution. The plaintiffs immediately announced they would take their case to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals -- and to the Supreme Court if necessary. The 1st Circuit agreed to review the case on an expedited basis.

Swayed by secret evidence linking former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. to the Bulger gang's murders of three witnesses and a Tulsa millionaire, a judge yesterday changed course and ruled jurors will learn about the hits. ``We believe the judge made the right decision, we think there was no basis to rule otherwise,'' U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said after U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro dealt a blow to Connolly's defense. Tauro, who had previously called the killings ``extremely prejudicial'' since Connolly is not charged with murder, offered little explanation for his reversal. The judge reviewed special...