Amicus Briefs
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Through its litigation initiatives, Legal Momentum has made historic and enduring contributions to the rights and opportunities available to women. This is often accomplished through participation in cases as amicus curiae ("friend of the court"). Amici are groups or individuals who are not parties to the case but have particular expertise in the issues at its heart. They bring their expertise to the court in the form of an amicus brief to inform the court’s deliberations. Each year Legal Momentum writes and joins numerous amicus briefs in cases dealing with issues central to our mission.
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Fairness in the CourtsPublic Benefits and Poverty | LGBTQ+ RightsJoined Amicus Brief: When denying veterans' benefits to a service member with a same-sex spouse, should such classifications should be treated with heightened scrutiny.
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Fairness in the CourtsLGBTQ+ Rights | International Human RightsAuthored Amicus Brief: Concerning the Inter-American Court (IACHR) overturning the Chilean Supreme Court’s decision to deny Judge Karen Atala custody of her children because of her sexual orientation.
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Fairness in the Courts | Workplace Equality and Economic EmpowermentSex-Based Classification | LGBTQ+ RightsAuthored Amicus Brief: Challenging denial of spousal health benefits by employer on the basis of same-sex marriage.
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Fairness in the CourtsSex-Based Classification | LGBTQ+ RightsJoined Amicus Brief: Determines the constitutionality of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Section 3 defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
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Fairness in the Courts | Violence Against Women and GirlsChild Abuse | International Human RightsAuthored Amicus Brief: Determined whether the U.S. government violated international human rights treaties by failing to protect an individual from—and provide a remedy for—domestic violence, when local law enforcement failed to do so.
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Fairness in the Courts | Violence Against Women and GirlsImmigration | Parental RightsAuthored Amicus Brief: Determined the constitutionality of Arizona's controversial immigration law, Senate Bill 1070 (S.B. 1070).
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Fairness in the CourtsImmigrationJoined Amicus Brief: Challenged anti-immigration laws in Hazelton, Pennsylvania.
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Fairness in the Courts | Workplace Equality and Economic EmpowermentJoined Amicus Brief: Determined whether workers who provide information during an employer’s investigation of a sexual harassment are protected from retaliation by federal law.
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Fairness in the CourtsImmigration | Parental RightsAuthored Amicus Brief: In this case, the Nebraska Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional right of immigrant parents to care for, have custody of, and control over their children. The Court ruled that Maria Luis, a Guatemalan woman, should not lose custody of her children because she was deported from the United States.
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Fairness in the Courts | Violence Against Women and GirlsJoined Amicus Brief: Determined whether a domestic violence survivor could remove her name from the electronic court record of an eviction complaint to prevent adverse impacts on future house opportunities.