Texas Supreme Court to Hear Lawsuit Challenging Same-Sex Benefits
LGBT advocates were weighing their legal options after the Texas Supreme Court agreed January 20 to take up a lawsuit challenging same-sex benefits for City of Houston employees.
Under pressure from GOP state leaders, the state’s highest court reversed its previous decision to reject the case, Pidgeon v. Parker, which was first filed more than three years ago on behalf of Republican activists Jack Pidgeon and Larry Hicks.
A state district judge initially ruled in favor of Pidgeon and Hicks (who were represented by former Harris County GOP chair Jared Woodfill), but the state’s 14th Court of Appeals overturned the decision in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges marriage-equality ruling.
The nine-member Texas Supreme Court declined to hear the case in September, with only one member dissenting, prompting a campaign from right-wing groups to convince justices to reconsider. The campaign included briefs signed by Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and dozens of GOP legislators.
Read more: http://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2017/02/texas-supreme-court-to-hear-lawsuit-challenging-same-sex-benefits/
