Amicus Queeriae

In this episode, we trace the transformation of the Supreme Court's thinking on the criminalization of being gay from Bowers v. Hardwick, 478 U.S. 186 (1986) to Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003). The seeds of change were planted in historical cases concerning Constitutional rights to privacy, liberty, and equal protection. Between Bowers and Lawrence the Court's majority view shifted from disdain to respect for the autonomy of people to make intimate and personal choices, regardless of...

In this episode, Jamie Francesca Rodriguez and Amy Stephens break down the Supreme Court's recent decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, No. 19-123 (U.S. June 17, 2021). It's a bad decision for the LGBTQ+ community, but not as bad as it could have been. The opinion is available at https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/19-123_g3bi.pdf.

In Episode 1, Amy and Jamie introduce ourselves, share our vision for the podcast, and discuss the recent California Court of Appeal opinion in Murphy v. Twitter affirming the dismissal of Murphy's suit as barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (the "CDA"). Murphy, an inveterate TERF, repeatedly ignored Twitter's Hateful Conduct Policy by demeaning and misgendering transgender women. After repeated warnings and temporary account suspensions, Twitter permanently...

In this preview episode of Amicus Queeriae, Amy Stephens and I discuss President Biden's Executive Orders, with a focus on those that establish a federal policy of promoting equity and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons. Check us out on Anchor.fm, or wherever you get your podcast fix.