The Early Word: Legal Matters
From Today’s Times:
- President Obama has determined that the Defense of Marriage Act – the law that bans federal recognition of same-sex marriage – is unconstitutional. The administration announced Wednesday that the Justice Department will no longer defend the law in court, prompting gay rights advocates to hail the shift as a watershed victory with far-reaching implications, The Times’s Charlie Savage and Sheryl Gay Stolberg report.
- Arizona is again making headlines for anti-immigration legislation. A tougher law than the one passed last year would ban school enrollment, driving and other public benefits for illegal residents, The Times’s Marc Lacey reports. The sweeping package of immigration restrictions would make the controversial measures approved by the state in 2010 look lenient. If the law is passed, children born in the United States whose parents are illegal immigrants would receive special birth certificates that would make clear that the state does not consider them Arizona citizens.
Illinois has become the refuge of choice for Democrat legislators fleeing their states’ capitals to block the passage of bills aimed at undercutting the bargaining rights of public-sector employees, The Times’s Monica Davey reports. By Wednesday evening, most of Indiana’s 40 Democratic state representatives were living in rooms (“plain but all we need,” in the words of one) at the Comfort Suites in Urbana, Ill., about 100 miles west of the state Capitol in Indianapolis. Wisconsin’s Senate Democrats were preparing to mark their first full week, on Thursday, somewhere in northern Illinois.
- While Chicago is welcoming its new mayor-elect, the ex-governor of Illinois is hoping to ease the terms of his exit. Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to drop three of the more serious charges against Rod R. Blagojevich, who was convicted last year of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He would still face more than a dozen charges, but the decision was a sign that prosecutors had concerns about the complexity of the case, The Times’s Emma Graves Fitzsimmons reports.
Around the Web:
- Sarah Palin will travel to India next month to speak at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi. She will be the sole American politician at the conference that is attended mainly by Indian and Pakistani officials, business leaders, public figures and entertainers, Politico reports. Ms. Palin will deliver the conference’s closing speech.
Washington Happenings:
- Senator Barbara Boxer and Representative Loretta Sanchez, Democrats from California, will announce new legislative efforts to provide flexible spending accounts for service members. They plan to introduce the bill that would aim to help military families save on health and child care costs before Congress.
- The Motor City rolls through Washington as the president and the first lady host “The Motown Sound” concert at the White House. The show will feature both music legends and contemporary artists for a celebration of Black History Month and the legacy of Motown Records.
- Michelle Obama welcomes more than 100 children from across the country to participate in a workshop called “The Sound of Young America: The History of Motown.” The executive director of the Grammy Museum will lead students in a discussion about Motown’s legacy.
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