National
Supreme Court asked to lift stay on ‘Don’t Ask’ injunction
Plaintiffs call appellate court’s order an ‘abuse of discretion’
Plaintiffs in litigation challenging “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a stay issued by an appellate court allowing continued enforcement of the military’s gay ban.
Lawyers representing Log Cabin Republicans, which filed the lawsuit against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2004, requested that the high court vacate a stay issued by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The application argues continued enforcement of the law would harm gay, lesbian and bisexual service members.
“Unless the court of appeals’ stay is vacated, the respondents will be free to continue to investigate and discharge American servicemembers for no reason other than their homosexuality, in violation of their due process and First Amendment rights,” the application states.
The application was sent to U.S. Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, who’s the circuit justice for the Ninth Circuit. The Log Cabin litigation is pending before the appellate court in that circuit.
In a statement, Dan Woods, partner at White & Case LLP, which is representing Log Cabin, emphasized that the stay is “arbitrary” and said the Supreme Court should vacate the order immediately.
“We continue to look forward to the day when all Americans can serve in our military without regard to their sexual orientation,” Woods said.
R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, criticized the U.S. Justice Department for requesting the stay with the Ninth Circuit and said the action drove his organization to pursue the matter with the high court.
“It is unfortunate the Obama Justice Department has forced the Log Cabin Republicans to go to the Supreme Court,” Cooper said.
Late last month, the Ninth Circuit decided to stay an injunction preventing the enforcement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” issued by U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips after he ruling striking down the law. The application filed by Log Cabin on Friday maintains that the decision to stay the injunction was an “abuse of discretion.”
Among other things, the application states that the stay order ignored controlling precedent, sidestepped the requirement that respondents show a likelihood of success and “gave no consideration whatsoever” to the injury that would befall applicants because of the stay.
“Any alleged harms to the government are entirely bureaucratic, procedural, and transitory in nature, and are sharply outweighed by the substantial constitutional injury that servicemembers will sustain from a stay of the district court’s judgment,” the application states.
Log Cabin lawyers argue that at a minimum, the Supreme Court should halt discharges of gay service members currently serving in the U.S. military as the Ninth Circuit hears the litigation. Such an order would be similar to what U.S. Appellate Judge William Fletcher, who serves on the Ninth Circuit, thought was appropriate in his dissenting opinion on the stay.
In a Q&A attached to his statement, Woods said how long the application review would take is up to the court and that justices may give the U.S. government an opportunity to respond.
Additionally, Woods said it’s up to Kennedy to determine whether the entire Supreme Court will be involved in the decision on vacating the order. Woods said Kennedy may decide for himself of refer the application to the entire Supreme Court.
If the high court vacates the stay, Woods said “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is dead for the time that the Ninth Circuit considers the lawsuit. But if the high court upholds the Ninth Circuit’s decision, Woods said plaintiffs would next move in the appellate court to expedite the litigation.
Download the application to vacate here.
UPDATE: Kennedy has directed the U.S. government to reply to Log Cabin’s request to vacate the stay by Wednesday at 5 pm, according to sources familiar with the lawsuit.
Arizona
Shooting outside gay bar in Ariz. leaves three dead
Tucson police investigating double murder-suicide as a hate crime
Three people were fatally shot outside a gay bar in Tucson, Ariz., early Monday morning, about a mile from the city’s nightlife district.
Police have said the shooting, which took place in the parking lot of Venture-N bar at 1239 N. 6th Ave., was likely a hate crime and a double murder-suicide following a verbal altercation.
The suspect, Ousman Ceesay, allegedly shot Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara while they were outside the club around 12:30 a.m. Monday.
Reports show Capara and Siqueiros were pronounced dead at the scene. Ceesay died after being taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds.
Police have also said that Ceesay was carrying a list of LGBTQ businesses at the time of the shooting.
Arizona Public Media has said police are investigating the case as a hate crime because the suspect was carrying a note containing the names of multiple LGBTQ-associated businesses.
“I am deeply saddened that another senseless loss of life has happened in our community,” Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto said in a statement. “Bias-based crimes are especially heinous and have no place in our community.”
According to Prieto, there is no imminent threat to the community, and the Tucson Police Department is working to provide extra protection to various LGBTQ businesses across town.
Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva, who represents the area, issued a statement condemning the act of violence, which appears to have been at least in part motivated by homophobia.
“I am disgusted and deeply saddened to learn of a targeted act of hate and the cold-blooded murder of two members of our LGBTQIA+ community, Vincent Siqueiros and Cameron Capara, at the Venture-N bar in Tucson last night. This horrific attack is a painful reminder that even in welcoming communities like Tucson, hate and violence against the LGBTQIA+ community still exist.”
“When that hate is combined with easy access to firearms, the consequences can be deadly. I am sick and tired of Congress refusing to lift a finger to protect our communities while, every day, dozens of people are shot and killed across the country. It does not have to be this way. The House of Representatives is returning to session this week, and our first action should be passing common-sense gun safety reforms that we know can save lives.”
Other federal lawmakers also condemned the shooting.
The Congressional Equality Caucus, which is made up of federal legislators advancing LGBTQ interests, issued a statement after news broke.
“Our hearts are with the friends and loved ones of the victims of this devastating attack outside a Tucson gay bar and with the Tucson LGBTQI+ community,” it said on X. “No one should fear violence because of who they are — and we’re going to continue fighting to build a world where no one does.”
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ organization in the country, released a statement following the shooting.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara and our hearts are with their families, loved ones, and the entire Tucson LGBTQ+ community. Once again, we are reminded that gun violence robs people of their lives, destroys families, and devastates communities.”
A candlelight vigil honoring the victims is planned for Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Catalina Park in North Tucson.
Congress
HRC president campaigns for Chris Pappas in NH
Gay congressman running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson on Sunday campaigned for U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire.
Robinson traveled to Manchester, the state’s largest city, nine days before the Sept. 8 primary that will determine who will vie for retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)’s seat.
We’re hitting the pavement across New Hampshire to fight for a freer, fairer future for everyone.
Glad to have Human Rights Campaign President @KelleyJRobinson join us for a canvass launch in Manchester today. pic.twitter.com/XWCEaQxy4o
— Chris Pappas (@ChrisPappasNH) August 30, 2026
Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, who represented New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate from 2003-2009, will face off against former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 2010-2013, in the Republican primary.
Karishma Manzur is among the Democrats challenging Pappas.
A poll the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released on Aug. 26 shows Sununu is ahead of Brown. The same survey shows Pappas ahead of Manzur and his other Democratic challengers.
The UNH Survey Center poll shows Sununu ahead of Pappas by a 45-43 percent margin if they were to face off in the general election. The margin of error is +/-2.1 percent.
Pappas would become the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate if he were to win in November.
National
Milo Yiannopoulos deported to UK
ICE arrested far-right provocateur in New Orleans on Thursday
Editor’s note: The Department of Homeland Security on Saturday said Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported to the U.K.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday arrested far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.
A DHS spokesperson in a statement sent to the Washington Blade said ICE arrested Yiannopoulos, who they described as “an illegal alien from the United Kingdom,” at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
The DHS spokesperson said Yiannopoulos “legally entered the country” in New York on May 14, 2019.
“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” said the spokesperson.
The DHS spokesperson said an immigration judge on July 22 “issued a final order of removal” for Yiannopoulos “after failing to show up for his immigration hearing.” The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans on Friday reported Yiannopoulos is being held at an ICE detention center in Alexandria, La., which is about 200 miles northwest of the Crescent City.
“He will remain in ICE custody pending removal,” said the DHS spokesperson.
Yiannopoulos has, among other things, repeatedly targeted transgender people and Muslims.
The American Conservative Union, which organizes the annual Conversative Political Action Conference, in 2017 disinvited Yiannopoulos from speaking at that year’s CPAC after a video in which he appeared to condone sex between adults and underage boys emerged. Yiannopoulos subsequently resigned from Breitbart News, a far-right news website, where he had been a senior editor.
Yiannopoulos later that year married his boyfriend in Hawaii. The far-right provocateur in 2021 claimed he was an “ex-gay.”
The Australian government in 2019 banned Yiannopoulos from entering the country “on character grounds.” Yiannopoulos was also banned from Facebook, Twitter (now X), and other social media platforms.
The Times-Picayune reported Yiannopoulos “most recently worked for” Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
The controversial rapper is scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday.
Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist who is close to President Donald Trump, has called for Yiannopoulos’s deportation. Loomer on Friday wrote on X that she “reported him to ICE and the FBI” after he “called for me to be assassinated.”
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