News

BALIF filed an amicus curiae brief today with the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals supporting the right of same-sex couples in Utah and Oklahoma to marry.  A three-judge panel from the court will hear Kitchen v. Herbert, on appeal from the District of Utah, and Bishop v. Smith, on appeal from the Northern District of Oklahoma, in April.  The press release can be found here.

“These two cases are particularly important, because without judicial intervention it is unlikely that marriage equality will come to states like Utah or Oklahoma any time soon,” said Nickolas Kacprowski, partner at Kirkland & Ellis in San Francisco and chair of BALIF’s Amicus Committee.

The brief argues that because the sole purpose and effect of the Utah and Oklahoma bans on same-sex marriage is to impose inequality on same-sex couples, the bans are unconstitutional in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor.  Further, because Windsor opened the door to federal recognition of same-sex marriage, the tangible benefits associated with same-sex marriage and denied to same-sex couples by the bans are substantial.

The brief was filed with pro bono support from the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olsen.  Jerome C. Roth and Nicole S. Phillis of Munger Tolles led the effort.   Another great effort by Munger Tolles and the Amicus Committee!

Click here for the Amicus Brief.

FEB. 27, 2014 - San Francisco - Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF) thanks members of the Minority Bar Coalition (MBC) in joining BALIF in urging Governor Jan Brewer to veto legislation passed by the Arizona state legislature last Thursday that, under the guise of religious freedom, would enable discrimination against individuals who identify as LGBT.  Governor Brewer announced her veto earlier yesterday.

 

"We thank our Minority Bar Coalition allies for standing with us.  It is clear that the bill was vetoed in part because Governor Brewer feared the political backlash caused by pressure by organizations like ours," said Jamie Dupree, BALIF Board Co-Chair.  "We must remain vigilant as similar bills across the country are still pending."

 

The Asian American Prosecutors Association, Asian Pacific Bar Association of Silicon Valley, South Asian Bar Association of Northern California, Korean American Bar Association of Northern California, Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California, Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, Queen's Bench Bar Association, East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association, Board Members of the Iranian American Bar Association, Northern California, La Raza Lawyers Association of California and Thai American Attorneys of Northern California are among the MBC members who stood with BALIF to condemn the legislation. These bar associations have a long-standing commitment to supporting the civil rights of all members of our community.

 

What a whirl-it's that wonderful, busy time of year for BALIF! We've had a rush of events in the past few weeks, and I'd like to thank everyone who came out to our first ever BALIF Law Student "Need for Speed" Networking event this past January 30th! We had a great event, and we could not have done it without the participation of our wonderful BALIF community.

 

Thanks to everyone who came out for our Sochi Happy Hour co-sponsored by ALRP and supporting Horizons Foundation, an organization helping LGBT Russian refugees. We hope that you'll all join us at the end of February when, we will be Standing Proud at the 2014 BALIF Gala! We hope to see all of you on Friday, February 28 at the Bently Reserve in San Francisco to honor Judge Vaughn Walker and LYRIC, a local LGBTQQ youth organization. Mark your calendars and purchase your individual tickets to the Gala or sponsor BALIF today!

 

 

Midori Hirai

Law Student Representative

The countdown to Standing Proud, the 2014 BALIF Gala, continues - it's only few weeks away! This year's event is on Friday, February 28 at the Bently Reserve in San Francisco. We will be honoring Judge Vaughn Walker and LYRIC, a local LGBTQQ youth organization, for their service and contributions to our community. It's not too late to sponsor BALIF for 2014 or purchase individual tickets to the Gala.

 

Looking ahead to the spring, elections are coming up for open positions on BALIF's Board of Directors. Each Director holds office for two years, and we invite all BALIF members to nominate themselves or others for open positions. BALIF specifically seeks candidates who will contribute to the diversity of the Board. More information will follow, but in the meantime, please save the dates of April 3 as the deadline for candidate statements, and the evening of April 24 for the annual meeting of BALIF members and the election of new Directors.

 

See you at the Gala on February 28!

 

 

Julie Wilensky

BALIF Secretary & CCBA Committee Chair

Last month at the holiday party, BALIF honored Munger, Tolles & Olson as its pro bono counsel. In 2013, Munger Tolles represented BALIF on a pro bono basis in amicus briefs before both the United States Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Munger Tolles authored the briefs, and helped coordinate dozens of other organizations as co-amici with BALIF. BALIF recognized Jerome Roth, partner at Munger Tolles, as lead counsel on each of the amicus briefs for his dedication to BALIF and BALIF’s causes.

Thank you Jerry and Munger Tolles!

BALIF is proud to announce the endorsement of Therese (Terry) Stewart for a position on the California Courts of Appeal.  The press release can be found here.

If appointed, Terry, who is currently the Chief Deputy Attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, would be the first out lesbian appellate judge in the California state court system.  The decision was made by the BALIF Board of Directors after the unanimous recommendation of the BALIF Judiciary Committee based on Terry’s decades of tireless and successful advocacy on behalf of the LGBT community, women, minorities, and other marginalized communities.

“Therese Stewart is an ideal candidate for the California judiciary, and we are pleased and honored to deliver BALIF’s endorsement,” said Elizabeth Pritzker, partner at Pritzker Law in San Francisco and BALIF Judiciary Committee Co-Chair. “Therese will bring to the Courts of Appeal a multitude of strengths: a brilliant legal mind, an exceptional aptitude for solving difficult legal questions, and a great judicial temperament.  If successful, her appointment to the appellate court will be a significant legacy for the LGBT community.”

Terry has led a distinguished career as a top litigator, as one of the first female partners at Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin (now Arnold & Porter LLP) in San Francisco, and since 2002, at the City Attorney’s Office.  As Chief Deputy Attorney, she was instrumental in securing the rights of same-sex couples to marry, from representing San Francisco when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom first attempted to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004, to winning marriage equality at the California Supreme Court in 2008, and finally successfully challenging Proposition 8 in Federal Court.  Terry is a former member of the BALIF Board of Directors and the recipient of the 2013 American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Women’s Lawyers of Achievement, the highest award for a female attorney in the United States.

Check out Terry’s It Gets Better video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haZgvvw0-8Y

It's hard to believe that January is almost over! However, there is no shortage of BALIF action and we have some great events coming up on the horizon.

 

For law students, BALIF is hosting its first ever "Need For Speed" Speed Resume review and Interview Skills workshop January 30th from 6-8pm at Pillsbury-Winthrop. This is a unique, BALIF member-only event just for law students and space is limited! Come get some valuable one-on-one advice on how to answer those tricky interview questions and see where you can improve on your resume, followed up by a reception at the end. To RSVP for this not-to-be-missed event, simply email BALIF at lawstudentrep@balif.org or sign up on the BALIF website at www.balif.org. 

 

Dustin Helmer

Law Student Representative