Weekly Political Roundup

• Confused by the bevy of marriage-related lawsuits now in play? Lisa Keen at Bay Windows breaks it all down in a multi-part series. (Parts I and II are out; Part III will be next week.)
• Chris Geidner does a similar breakdown for federal hate crimes legislation. Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed the Defense Department authorization bill on which the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act is attached. It now goes to a Conference Committee to reconcile the House and Senate versions.
• The City of Miami voted in favor of a resolution supporting the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Not sure how much weight this really carries, but in conservative Florida, it seems a good sign in any case.
• The Maine Supreme Judicial Court overturned a lower court decision that annulled the adoption of Patricia Spado by her partner, IBM heiress Olive Watson. Other heirs of Thomas Watson had challenged the adoption; the women’s relationship ended a year after the adoption took place. The case now goes to Connecticut probate court to see if Spado will get any of the family trust.
• The St. Paul, Minn., City Council voted to allow unmarried same- and opposite-sex couples to register as domestic partners. The DP certificates could be used as proof of the relationship for employment benefits or for hospital visitation.
• New Jersey Gov. Corzine selected State Sen. Loretta Weinberg as his running mate for Lieutenant Governor. Garden State Equality, the state LGBT group, is effusive: “Loretta is our godmother and guardian angel. Garden State Equality’s highest award is even named for her: The Loretta Weinberg Prize for Lifetime Achievement. Loretta is the architect of every LGBT civil rights law enacted in New Jersey since she entered the legislature in 1993. . . . She is the prime sponsor of the marriage equality bill now before the state legislature.
• New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has decided not to pursue a defense-bill amendment calling for an 18-month moratorium on discharges under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. She says there aren’t enough votes for passage.
• San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed a Motion to Intervene as a co-plaintiff in the federal challenge to Proposition 8 led by Theodore B. Olson and David Boies.
• Lawyers for three board members of the conservative group Wisconsin Family Action filed a lawsuit with the State Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the recently enacted domestic partnership protections.

Around the world:

• Not exactly news, but here’s a useful map showing the status of LGBT rights across Europe, courtesy of the European branch of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe).
• Romania has banned marriage of same-sex couples. The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund is claiming credit for helping the Parliament pass the measure.
• The New York Times has a sweet piece on marriage of same-sex couples in South Africa. (Thanks, Bil.)