Today in History: July 25

Lawsuit Filed Against New York to Block Same-Sex Marriage- July 25, 2011

From NY Daily News:

Twenty four hours after New York's landmark same sex marriage law went into effect, the anti-gay-marriage group New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms today has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn it.

The group, led by the Rev. Jason J. McGuire, claims that the state Senate, in adopting the legislation, violated the state’s Open Meetings Law by closing off Senate hallways and lobby; and by holding closed door meetings with Mayor Bloomberg and others who backed the law.

The group also claims, among other things, that Gov. Cuomo and the Senate ignored the constitutionally mandated three-day waiting period before a bill can be acted upon and that lawmakers approved the legislation in exchange for campaign contributions from Bloomberg and other high profile "Wall Street financiers."

PA Supreme Court Strikes Hate Crimes Law- July 25, 2008

From 365Gay:

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision striking down  amendments that added sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, gender, and mental and physical disability to the state hate crime law.

The law, known as the Ethnic Intimidation and Institutional Vandalism Act, was amended in 2002 to include protections for these groups by a two-thirds majority of the state legislature. Then-governor Mark Schweiker signed it into law.

The lower court ruled last November that the law was invalid because it had been tacked onto another, nonrelated bill. The ruling did not criticize the content of the law, only the way in which it had been passed.