Feds defy order to provide same-sex benefits

[NorthCarolina]

(12-18) 17:45 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- The Obama administration refused Friday to follow a federal judge's order to provide insurance benefits to the wife of a lesbian court employee in San Francisco and said its hands were tied by a discriminatory law.

"This issue shows exactly why Congress needs to repeal" the law, which prohibits federal benefits to same-sex couples, government lawyer Elaine Kaplan said in a message to attorneys for court employee Karen Golinski.

One of Golinski's lawyers, Jenny Pizer of the gay-rights group Lambda Legal, said Kaplan's response was "something we might have expected from the Bush or Reagan administration, and not from a 'fierce advocate' of LBGT rights," as President Obama has described himself.

The case is one of two in which the Office of Personnel Management has balked at orders by judges on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to provide coverage to the same-sex spouses of federal employees.

<snip>

The administration is not sponsoring legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, however, and is defending the law in a suit by same-sex married couples in Massachusetts.

If the administration continues to deny coverage, Pizer said, Golinski will sue in court.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/18/MNSN1B6ISS.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0a6RdF6U8

[AndyA]

1. No hurry, but Obama's going to take care of that.

Just like there's no hurry for Don't Ask, Don't Tell, basic equality for gays, or anything else.

No biggie, he'll get around to it someday...he's been busy.

We knew there were going to be problems from the first moment McClurkin was mentioned.

[mitchtv]

2. Anyone suprised

knight to pawn 3

[ThomCat]

3. @#$%&!

:grr:

[Imagevision]

4. The Obama administration refused Friday to follow a federal judge's order to provide insurance benef

[tbyg52]

5. Remind you of anyone?

Of course, I feel like a chump for having hoped otherwise. a) They are bought and paid for and b) It's real hard to let go of power once you have it, even though it's wrong that you have it.

[closeupready]

6. Yeah. The very AUDACITY of you, having hoped!

:sarcasm:

[RetiredTrotskyite]

7. I Didn't Vote For Obama....

but I, too, knew their would be trouble as soon as the McClurkin thing blew up. I think we can pretty well conclude that Obama isn't going to be an advocate for us, frierce or otherwise.