Word: virginia
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After barely two months in office, Virginia’s attorney general seems to have determined that his state’s legal policies are not controversial enough. How else to explain his decision to send a letter to Virginia universities and colleges instructing them to ban protections on gay rights? In the document, Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II advised that, “The law and public policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia prohibit a college or university from including ‘sexual orientation,’ ‘gender identity...
Cuccinelli may indeed have had sound legal reasoning behind his move. According to him, the Virginia General Assembly has never given specific authorization for such discrimination protections, and in-state colleges and universities are overstepping their bounds by employing them. The attorney general cited the Virginia Human Rights Act, which singled out race, color, religion, national origin, and sex as affiliations deserving of special protections—but not sexual orientation. He also pointed out that the General Assembly has voted 25 times not to include “sexual orientation” in various nondiscrimination measures since...
However, this legal technicality is a small concern that Cuccinelli has pointed out in order to nullify more important protective measures. Article one, section one of the constitution of Virginia concerns the “equality and rights of man.” It states, “That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights.” This statute clearly allows for myriad protections against discrimination, and Virginia’s institutions of higher education have simply been upholding a similar standard of rights. It should be the focus...
...spent chatting up wavering members, as she was Thursday, sitting with Rep. Zach Space, an Ohio Democrat, who voted for the House version in November but now says he's undecided. And she's seen a steady trickle of Yea votes being declared, including today Rep. Tom Perriello of Virginia, Rep. John Boccieri of Ohio and Rep. Chris Murphy of Connecticut. She smiles and nods and prods, but for the most part favors carrots over sticks. She has a near eidetic memory for peoples' names and faces; she can tell you the names of nearly every one of her members...
...threatened to support a primary challenge against any Democrat who votes against the bill. The final fence sitters are Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak and upwards of 10 pro-life members who are unhappy with the Senate's abortion language, as well as a few particularly vulnerable members, such as Virginia Rep. Glenn Nye, Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader, and Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Carney. While it's crucial for Democrats to pass health care ahead of the midterm elections, Pelosi is fully aware that if she cajoles too many of her vulnerable members into taking a tough vote she could risk losing...