Latest news with #Bates'
Reuters
5 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Oregon adoption policy on LGBTQ acceptance violates free speech rights, court says
CHICAGO, July 24 (Reuters) - An Oregon woman seeking to adopt two children out of foster care will be allowed to move forward after a U.S. appeals court on Thursday said a state policy requiring adoptive parents to 'respect, accept and support' the children's gender expression and sexual orientation was unconstitutional. A divided three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling blocking Jessica Bates from adopting because of the Oregon Department of Human Services' policy. The majority agreed with Bates, a devout Christian who said her beliefs prevent her from following the policy, finding that it violates Bates' rights to free speech and free exercise of religion under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Circuit Judge Daniel Bress, who was appointed by Republican President Donald Trump in his first term, joined with Circuit Judge Michael Hawkins, an appointee of Democratic President Bill Clinton, in finding that the policy is unconstitutional. Oregon hasn't explained why other ways to protect LGBTQ children in foster care — instead of a policy that broadly bans Bates from adopting — aren't feasible, Bress wrote in the opinion. 'A state's general conception of the child's best interest does not create a force field against the valid operation of other constitutional rights,' he wrote. Bates was represented by lawyers from Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian group that is routinely involved in high-profile court cases involving religious liberties. 'The 9th Circuit was right to remind Oregon that the foster and adoption system is supposed to serve the best interests of children, not the state's ideological crusade,' ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Litigation Strategy Jonathan Scruggs said in a statement after the ruling. A spokesperson for Democratic Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, whose office defended the policy, said in a statement they are reviewing the ruling to determine their next steps. Bates filed the lawsuit in 2023 after her application to adopt a pair of siblings was denied when she told an administrator that she couldn't support the behavior of a hypothetical child whose preferred pronouns and identity don't match their biological sex. The district court rejected Bates' bid for an injunction against the policy, finding that Oregon has a strong interest in protecting the rights of LGBTQ children and the policy's regulation of free speech was precise enough. Circuit Judge Richard Clifton, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, dissented, saying that the policy regulates parental actions and does not impact speech beyond what is necessary. The case is Bates v. Pakseresht, case number 23-4169 in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. For Bates: Jonathan Scruggs, James Campbell, Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, John Bursch of the Alliance Defending Freedom and Rebekah Schultheiss of the Freedom Foundation For Oregon: Philip Thoennes, Denise Fjordbeck, Benjamin Gutman, Ellen Rosenblum of the Oregon Department of Justice
Metro
20-07-2025
- Metro
'Nightmare' Neighbour fined for rat infested garden in Melton Mowbray
A man has been handed a court bill for £1,200 for failing to tidy his 'nightmare' overgrown garden. Richard Bates, who lives in Melton Mowbray near Leicester, was approached by his local council in September 2024 over the overgrown vegetation at the front of his house. He later got formal warnings and a fixed penalty notice, before council workers eventually moved in to tidy up the site. They were tasked with clearing the 'very overgrown vegetation and any other items that could provide food and harbour vermin'. While carrying out the work, they found a rat's nest in the garden, which Melton Borough Council described as a 'nightmare'. On July 9 at Leicester Magistrates' Court, the matter was found proved in Bates' absence and he received a £500. More Trending He was also ordered to pay £500 towards the council's costs and a victim charge of £200, while the council said he would also be recharged for the cost of the works. Bates was found proved of failing to comply with a community protection notice. Councillor Sarah Cox, portfolio holder for corporate finance, property and resources at the council, said: 'Even with support from our teams, the resident failed to adhere to the conditions set out to him, forcing us to take necessary action to keep the area clean and free of pests. 'We take issues such as anti-social behaviour very seriously. 'If a supportive approach fails, we will not hesitate to enforce and act to keep our communities a safe and thriving place to live.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Man made friend strip before 'parading' him through Welsh village naked MORE: Afghan veteran warns data breach poses shadow threat 'for years to come' MORE: Three minutes cut from 'raw' prison footage of the night Epstein died
Los Angeles Times
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Kathy Bates becomes oldest Emmy nominee for best drama actress
At 77, Kathy Bates is now the oldest Emmy nominee for lead actress in a drama series. Bates stars as septuagenarian lawyer Madeline Matlock in the CBS series 'Matlock,' which concluded its first season in April. Created by Jennie Snyder Urman (best known for 'Jane the Virgin'), the show is a reboot of the classic Andy Griffith-led series of the same name, which ran from 1986 to 1995. Bates' Matlock is a bit older and just as brilliant. 'I know that there was some talk of possibly creating this character as a granddaughter of [the original] Matlock — someone in her 30s or 40s — so I'm incredibly fortunate that, at 76, for heaven's sake, I've been able to play this role,' Bates told The Times last year. Bates, who celebrated a birthday last month, on Tuesday became the oldest nominee in the category's history. The record was previously held by the late Angela Lansbury, who was 70 when she was nominated for 'Murder, She Wrote' in 1996. Lansbury never won an Emmy despite 18 nominations. Bates' nomination doesn't come as a surprise. She was up for the same category at this year's Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She took home the trophy at the Critics Choice Awards in February. Bates has now been nominated for 15 Emmy Awards, two of which she's won: guest actress in a comedy series for 'Two and a Half Men' (2012) and supporting actress in a limited series for 'American Horror Story: Coven' (2014). In 1991, she won the lead actress Oscar for her chilling role in the horror movie 'Misery,' based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. 'Matlock' has been renewed for a sophomore season and is expected to return in the fall.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Priceville police: Man had psilocybin laced with fentanyl, marijuana during I-65 stop
May 27—On Monday, police charged an Ohio man with drug trafficking after a traffic stop on Interstate 65 yielded pounds of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms laced with fentanyl in his vehicle, according to the Priceville Police Department. According to a police affidavit, an officer initiated a traffic stop at approximately 1:47 a.m. on a gray Hyundai Elantra traveling south on I-65 for failing to signal a lane change and having an obstructed windshield. Police said they identified the driver as 29-year-old D'Angelo Antonio Bates from Toledo, Ohio. There was an odor of raw and burnt marijuana coming from Bates' vehicle, according to the affidavit, which prompted officers to conduct a search. Officers located a firearm, 2.3 pounds of marijuana, 2.3 ounces of fentanyl laced "psilocybin/psilocin substance," and various drug paraphernalia hidden within the vehicle's spare tire compartment, police said. Bates was charged with trafficking in cannabis, trafficking dangerous drugs-fentanyl, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He remained in the Morgan County Jail in lieu of a $515,000 bond Tuesday, according to jail records. A felony warrant signed by Morgan County Circuit Judge Jennifer Howell states that Bates' bond was set higher because of his criminal history, his status on bond in another state for felony assault and strangulation, and concerns that he poses a danger to the community. — or 256-340-2442.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Yahoo
Paulding County man sentenced to life in prison for 2021 murder
A Paulding County man has been found guilty of murder in the 2021 death of Lindsey Foster of Dallas, Georgia. On July 2, 2021, deputies responded to reports of shots being fired. Detectives say they reviewed surveillance footage and text messages to identify Octavious Bates, 32, as the shooter. They were also able to gather gunshot residue from Bates' clothing. During Bates' week-long trial, the victim's family, witnesses, the lead detective, GBI agents, and the State's Medical Examiner testified. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The jury deliberated for under two hours before finding Bates guilty of all charges. He was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. TRENDING STORIES: Suspected child predators arrested in undercover operation in Alpharetta 'Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta' star Karlie Redd charged with burglary 'We need to apprehend him': $10K reward offered for Family Dollar 'security guard' who killed man [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
