Summer 2015

Local Government

The Supreme Court and a Sea Change in the Law

On April 28, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument on two questions regarding the constitutionality of state laws limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples: first, whether the Constitution requires the states banning same-sex marriage to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples; and second, whether those states must recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

Local Government

Supreme Court Watch: The Home Stretch

With only a couple of months left before the end of the Term in June, a few anticipated decisions have been issued by the Court, including rulings on telecommunications, employment law, and criminal issues.

Government

Chair's Message

James C. Hanks

The need for respect for diversity throughout our society is a theme of the Section’s three-part webinar series: Repairing Police-Community Relations: Post-9/11 Policing and Citizen Oversight in Ferguson and Beyond. Since my last message to you, there have been more deaths of unarmed suspects, more killings of police officers, an election in Ferguson, and the continued development of a grass roots response to police-community relations issues.

Government

Editor’s Message

For our readers who rely on the State & Local Law News to plan their CLE and attend our meetings, here are agendas galore: the SLG meeting at ABA Annual in Chicago (July 30–Aug. 2, 2015) and the SLG Fall Meeting in Louisville (Oct. 8–11, 2015), featuring CLE programs on affordable housing, land use, public finance and emergency management.