Head over to City Desk if you'd like to download a pdf copy of Judge Judith Retchin's Superior Court decision from earlier today, in which she ruled against the request of petitioners Bishop Harry Jackson et al. to put a halt to the D.C. Council's same sex marriage recognition law. Not only did Retchin rule that stopping the clock on the legislation, which is set to take effect next week, was not warranted, she went so far as to rule more broadly that the landmark 1995 Dean v. District decision does not apply to this case. Here's the key passage: "The Court in Dean did not consider whether the government could refuse to recognize the legal right of persons to remain married solely because of their sexual orientation. In fact, the Court in Dean could not have addressed this issue because when Dean was decided in 1995, no state had legalized same-sex marriage." We expect Jackson and his anti-gay marriage crusaders to head straight over to the D.C. Court of Appeals. more ›

We knew to expect it, and now D.C. Wire is reporting that Bishop Harry Jackson, Rev. Walter Fauntroy, and their collective of gay marriage opponents did indeed file papers at D.C. Superior Court this morning to appeal the recent BOEE ruling that a city-wide referendum on same sex marriage recognition would violate the Human Rights Act, and is therefore not allowed. 'In a statement, Fauntroy called the election board's decision, ''an insult to every voter in the District of Columbia and must be legally challenged as we are doing today.''' Unless the court intervenes, the marriage recognition law recently passed by the D.C. Council will become law in July. more ›

You have just got to be friggin' kidding me. The Associated Press is reporting that former administrative law judge Roy Pearson has filed a petition with the D.C. Court of Appeals requesting that his $54 million pants lawsuit case be reheard again, this time by a nine-judge panel. Three appellate judges ruled last month that Pearson's lawsuit had no merit. Pearson is now arguing that those judges failed to address all the issues in his appeal, and so is asking the full court to rehear the case. We just don't know if we can take another round of Pearson-related court proceedings. Surely the court can just reject his request at this point and refuse to rehear the case again, right? Pretty please? more ›

Say farewell to former administrative law judge Roy Pearson. Again. more ›

Marc Fisher has the best summary of today's arguments at the D.C. Court of Appeals. The good news for former administrative law judge Roy Pearson's epic, seemingly unending $54 million pants lawsuit, writes Fisher, is that the three judges hearing the appeal were "not buying Pearson's notion that a shop sign that promises 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' means that a merchant must honor any cockamamie demand that an unhappy customer might make." We probably won't have a ruling from the appeals court for at least a month, but it sounds like Pearson doesn't have a chance in hell. more ›

Remember when we told you that Roy Pearson, he of the $54 million missing pants lawsuit, was refusing to fade away quietly and heading back to court to press his appeal? Well today's the big day! Looks like the AP has a reporter at the D.C. Court of Appeals, so we'll be waiting patiently to find out whether the three-judge appellate court panel could possibly agree to overturn the lower court ruling and order a new trial for Pearson. more ›

That's right, kiddos. International superstar and former administrative law judge Roy Pearson is back! Last night WJLA reported that the infamous $54 million missing pants lawsuit has actually been granted an appeals hearing by a three-judge appellate court panel. Faithful readers must realize what a thrill it was for DCist to once again set our Google image search function to "pants" upon hearing the news. more ›