Equality news round-up: Post marriage equality decision orders, and more
June 30, 2015
LGBT Legal Cases Marriage equality Marriage Equality Trials Transgender Rights
– The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has asked for letters from all parties to the challenges to marriage bans in Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana, regarding how to proceed now that the Supreme Court has ruled. The Fifth Circuit held oral argument months ago, but they have not issued an opinion. So far, two responses have come in.
– South Dakota officials are asking to have the marriage case thrown out, because they are now complying with the Supreme Court decision.
– SCOTUSBlog reported on the view from inside the Supreme Court when the marriage decision came down.
– The federal government has issued new guidelines for transgender immigrants in detention.
– The plaintiffs challenging Alabama’s same-sex marriage ban in a class-action lawsuit have filed a motion for a permanent injunction and final judgment in the case.
– Final judgment has been entered in both challenges to North Dakota’s same-sex marriage ban.
Thanks to Equality Case Files for these filings
123 Comments
1.
1grod | June 30, 2015 at 8:43 am
Alabama: With the AL Supreme Court encouraging parties to their March Mandamus order to make submissions by July 6 [5:00 pm], is it not desirable that Judge C Granada issue a final judgment and permanent injunction before then as now requested by the plaintiffs? It is assumed that her stay of this Strawser v Strange class action suit was lifted with the June 26 US Supreme Court decision in Obergefell. With none of the 'actors' in that case giving any indication that they intend to appeal, to the contrary the decision has been implemented in the 6th Circuit, might Judge Granade still have to wait the 25 days before she can act?. Is it not time for the 11th Circuit Appeals Court to declare itself. Has it not got a role in check-mating Justice Moore and his co-conspirators. G.
2.
1grod | June 30, 2015 at 12:06 pm
Update on AL class action suit: http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/judge_as… postComment(1);#incart_river
3.
Tony MinasTirith | June 30, 2015 at 8:44 am
Wow! Can you believe it? Nationwide Marriage Equality and Apple Music all within a week!
4.
1grod | June 30, 2015 at 9:01 am
More Kansas developments; residents of 69 counties in 25/31 judicial districts, which includes 2.6 million of their state’s 3 million citizens, can legally wed.
9:30am June 30 UPDATE: The 14th Judicial District, which includes Montgomery and Chautauqua counties (39141), is now issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Equality Kansas will have a final update, along with an updated map, by 4:30pm today.
DIg the map updated yesterday! http://eqks.org/meanwhile-in-kansas-the-struggle-…
Its time to assert pressure for Recognition G
5.
allan120102 | June 30, 2015 at 9:24 am
Actually they are 79 with the addition of the 14 and 15 judicial districts. The 6 of the 15 comply yesterday and the 2 of the 14 today. I hope the final 26 counties comply and that Brownback start recognizing those lawful marriages.
6.
1grod | June 30, 2015 at 11:49 am
Allan thank you. EK:"12:00pm June 30 UPDATE: Minutes ago the chief administrative clerk of the 13th Judicial District, which includes Butler, Greenwood, and Elk counties, called our office to let us know Chief Judge Ricke has just now reversed his earlier ruling banning marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Additionally, in a conversation with the ALCU of Kansas, Chief Judge Pratt of the 17th Judicial District (Decatur, Graham, Norton, Osborne, Phillips, and Smith counties) has said he will order the clerks and judges in his district to issue marriage licenses." With 29/31 districts in compliance, how long with the remaining two judges hold out. http://eqks.org/meanwhile-in-kansas-the-struggle-… G
7.
Zack12 | June 30, 2015 at 12:08 pm
Not shocked by this.
At the end of the day, they will be on the hook for legal bills when they lose with the ADF and Brownback no where to be found.
8.
ianbirmingham | June 30, 2015 at 12:27 pm
The ACLU of Kansas… (not ALCU, typo!!)
9.
1grod | June 30, 2015 at 2:29 pm
3:30 pm June 30 UPDATE: The 25th Judicial District (Finney, Greeley, Hamilton, Kearny, Scott and Wichita counties) has now ordered the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples! Our many thanks go to the judge who was kind enough to call our office with the news. This leaves just one judicial district where we have no confirmation: The 20th, which includes Barton, Ellsworth, Rice, Russell and Stafford counties. 4:00 pm: Update: Its Done!!! http://eqks.org/meanwhile-in-kansas-the-struggle-…
10.
sfbob | June 30, 2015 at 2:33 pm
Great news. Now when is Brownback going to face reality and make sure the state actually treats all marriages equally?
11.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 12:23 pm
It appears that something like 16 counties in Kansas are still not issuing marriage licenses to Gay and Lesbian couples…….but the bigger problem is NOT recognizing the marriages that have been done in other States or even in their own State!!!
Ugh, STUPID should hurt!
12.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 9:49 am
So, which state is still NOT complying with the ruling from SCOTUS?
13.
SethInMaryland | June 30, 2015 at 10:23 am
I wouldn't say any state is not complying with the ruling , but Sam Brownback is not complying with ruling. I hope we get something from Crabtree today or tomorow
14.
guitaristbl | June 30, 2015 at 10:24 am
In most southern states marriages are recognized but not all counties issue them. Louisiana and Mississippi wait for a definitive ruling from the 5th. Some countied in the aforementioned states as well as Alabama wait for the 25 days waiting period for re hearing requests in scotus. Some counties in Alabama say they wait for guidance from the state supreme court. Many counties in Texas wait for guidance from the AG.
And then there is Kansas where not all counties issue and its the only state not recognizing marriages.
15.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 11:22 am
Thanks Seth and guitarisbl.
16.
SethInMaryland | June 30, 2015 at 11:29 am
VA will extend veterans benefits to same-sex couples following ruling http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/benef…
17.
DJSNOLA | June 30, 2015 at 12:00 pm
This was great news so now all we need is guidance from Social Security Benefits office. For some people not familiar with why these two offices matter, it has to do with how they award their benefits. These two department do it off of place of residence and not place of celebration so there were many gay couples who were married in one state but lived in one without marriage equality so they were unable to qualify for these two benefits. That should be moot now but would be nice to get confirmation and clarity from Social Security Office.
18.
ianbirmingham | July 1, 2015 at 3:17 am
When will Social Security begin paying benefits to same-sex married couples and surviving spouses?
Social Security is now processing some retirement, surviving spouse and lump-sum death payment claims for same-sex couples and paying benefits where they are due.
We also are considering same-sex marriages when processing some claims for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). We are working with the Department of Justice to develop and implement additional policy and processing instructions.
If you believe you may be eligible for retirement or survivors benefits or SSI, we encourage you to apply now to protect you against the loss of any potential benefits. We will process claims as soon as additional instructions become finalized.
If you have questions about how a same-sex marriage may affect your claim, please call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact your local Social Security office.
https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Artic…
19.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 6:31 am
Great news… would be nice to see something official out of the Department of Justice. Also, curious to see what effects this will have on some estate cases that are litigated and wouldnt have been had this ruling come down. Does anyone know if this is in anyway retroactive?
20.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 12:17 pm
As a Veteran, the Department of Veteran's Affairs makes new like this, but they still take ANYWHERE from a few months to a few years before the person actually receives their benefits.
This may happen faster for activity duty members…..but NOT for Veterans in general!!!
21.
ianbirmingham | June 30, 2015 at 12:37 pm
VA will extend benefits to all same-sex couples
By Travis J. Tritten
Stars and Stripes
Published: June 29, 2015
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs said Monday that same-sex couples in states across the country will now have access to a raft of denied benefits following the Supreme Court’s landmark marriage equality decision.
The couples will no longer be denied VA disability pay, home loan guarantees, death pensions and burial rights based on the laws of the states where they have lived and worked, the department announced.
A spokeswoman said the VA will send out new guidance to all staff and will temporarily halt any benefit applications that would have been denied under previous guidelines. …
http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/va-will-exte…
22.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 12:57 pm
They may NOT be denied……but that DOESN'T mean they will receive the benefits tomorrow.
I'be been waiting 3 years and 4 months to receive the retro-active pay for adding my wife to my Disability Award.
23.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 12:15 pm
Here is an article about a County Clerk who states she will NEVER issue a marriage license to a Gay or Lesbian Couple……..my response is either she should quit or be FIRED!!! http://www.waff.com/story/29443858/same-sex-marri…
24.
Zack12 | June 30, 2015 at 12:36 pm
Time to file a lawsuit.
If she doesn't want to do her job, then she needs to go.
25.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 12:55 pm
I agree……the same holds true for ANY clerk who DOESN'T want to do their job!!!
26.
DJSNOLA | June 30, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Agree she needs to be fired and held personally responsible for any of her court fees. Im not interested in what or who she hates but no taxpayer dollars should be wasted on this.
27.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 1:04 pm
Right, I mean a public servant serves the PUBLIC….ALL of the public, not just the ones who share her beliefs!!!
28.
sfbob | June 30, 2015 at 2:40 pm
When I got hired by the federal government back in 1977 I was told in no uncertain terms that I was to perform my job without regard to who my duties brought me into contact with and in particular whether I liked them or didn't like them, approved of how they dressed or how they decorated their homes or who they worshiped or didn't worship, or anything else about them or their circumstances. The only possible exception might be in cases where I feared for my physical safety and even in those cases there were things I'd be required to do to avoid having to fulfill my responsibilities. At no time was I ever informed that those instructions had been changed.
It's true of course that the states may have different standards of employment from what the federal government has or had but it does seem to me that the initial instructions I received should ought to apply across the board to any and all civil servants.
29.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 2:49 pm
I think folks are being given to much leeway and should do their job or go find a job more suited for their hatefulness towards a group of individuals.
We all have our right to believe as we see fit…..that is ALL the 1st Amendment guarantees. To think it ALLOWS anything more is erroneous!!!
These damn supposed Christians better fixer that out soon……if one WON'T apply their beliefs to other supposed sins, then they WON'T be allowed to pick and choose like they think they can now!!!
As a Navy Disabled Veteran, these folks to me are NOTHING more than Domestic Terrorists and should be treated as such!!
30.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 6:34 am
A Justice of the Peace just resigned in Louisiana and I say good for them. If you dont want to serve everyone than thats what you need to do. No one has to be forced to serve everyone, but at the same time no one is forcing you to do this job either. So dont want to serve everyone then resigning is the correct action. This line of work just isnt for you! Wish most bigots would see that and save everyone the drama!
31.
RnL2008 | July 1, 2015 at 7:52 am
I truly wonder what the hell these idiots think they will catch from Gays and Lesbians if they married them…….what, do we have cooties are something?
If they feel the need to resign, then good for them…….just like these Clerks who have been handing out marriage licenses for over 24 years, ALL of a sudden, NOW they have a conscious moral problem…….yea right!!!
32.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 8:33 am
I agree but truthfully Id just rather they resign and take there crap with them. So many more people would be fine with doing their job.
33.
RnL2008 | July 1, 2015 at 8:39 am
I totally agree with ya and at least the folks who want their job, will do their job……NO one said one had to LIKE every aspect of their job, but this religious objection is just the MOST pathetic lame ass excuse to NOT perform their duties in my opinion and they need to go find a job more in-line with God……..my guess, is Karma's a biotch and she's gonna bite them in the azz down the road……lol!!!
34.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 8:48 am
That county clerk is probably still pissed off that her husband left her for another man.
35.
RnL2008 | July 1, 2015 at 8:51 am
Well, that probably has a lot of truth in it……..lol!!
36.
RobW303 | June 30, 2015 at 1:49 pm
I see. And how many adulterers, atheists, convicted felons and couples having pre-marital sex did her conscience not object to serving? This is just bare-faced discrimination, not religious conviction (even if religious conviction were an adequate defense for dereliction of duty).
37.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 1:58 pm
Well ISN'T that the million dollar question of the day…….this is why is CAN'T be one's religious beliefs because they ONLY want to assert them AGAINST a particular group of individuals!!!
38.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 6:42 am
Not to mention how would one even know what someone is even doing? I mean I could belong to a religion that is strictly Vegan and refuse to serve anyone who admits toeating meat. Religious exemptions have no place in public service period. Dont want to serve then resign thats it. I also refuse the option of finding someone else. Imagine if you are that someone else and you are constantly being called in because your bigoted coworker doesnt want to serve anyone. That wouldnt sit well with me at all!
39.
RnL2008 | July 1, 2015 at 7:55 am
Exactly…….I know straight folks have pretended to be Gay and it's like ALL of a sudden, they are somehow less human……..peoples fears are just ridiculous…….it's like a white woman say here in California could be walking on the right hand side of the street, see a Black man and all of a sudden, cross over to the other side almost not even aware she had done it……..ALL based on some stupid azz fear!!
40.
Mike_Baltimore | July 1, 2015 at 10:24 am
I remember a few years ago a JP in Louisiana who wouldn't marry mixed race couples, but referred them to a JP a couple of townships over. Even Jindal got on his case and forced him to resign. Jindal said something to the effect that if the JP couldn't follow the law, then there certainly were others who could.
But now the law states that couples of the same sex can marry, and Jindal is against it? Do you follow the law, or follow convenience for only you, Jindal?
41.
Rick55845 | July 1, 2015 at 10:43 am
It would be great if some newspaper in Louisiana could dig that up and expose Jindal's flip flop on following the law. Maybe some more of his supporters will see what a hypocrit he is.
42.
davepCA | July 1, 2015 at 11:17 am
If I remember correctly, it wasn't even a few years ago, it was more like maybe just a year ago.
43.
Mike_Baltimore | July 1, 2015 at 2:15 pm
It was in October 2009. (I had to look it up, as I thought it was in 2011.)
Justice of the Peace – Keith Bardwell
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Louisiana_inte… )
As reported by CNN: 'Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal called for Bardwell to be fired: Jindal's office released a statement calling Bardwell's refusal to officiate the civil wedding "a clear violation of constitutional rights and federal and state law" and urged that "[d]isciplinary action should be taken immediately—including the revoking of his license.'
Bardwell resigned November 3, 2009.
44.
davepCA | July 1, 2015 at 2:17 pm
… wow, time flies……
LOVE that quote from him and I hope it comes back to bite him in the ass.
45.
Mike_Baltimore | July 1, 2015 at 4:36 pm
What is so amazing is the 'Loving' decision was by SCOTUS in 1967, and I can't remember when Congress passed a law, and it was signed by the President, to make such action illegal.
As for Louisiana, until 1724, miscegenation was allowed in Louisiana, then such allowance was repealed. In the Reconstruction Era, mixed-race couples were allowed to marry, then during the Jim Crow Era, anti-miscegenation laws were put back on the books, and remained on the books until the 'Loving' decision in 1967. Louisiana took it's anti-miscegenation laws off the books, but I don't recall them putting laws on the books making such laws illegal, as that had already been accomplished by SCOTUS.
So when Jindal said 'Federal and state' laws, I'm not sure what he was talking about.
As to your comment about time flying – I heard a long time ago that from one Christmas, birthday, etc. to the next when you are 5 is about 20% of your life. When you are 50, it is about 2% of your life. And that is one reason time, though time stays constant, it seems to fly faster and faster as we grow older.
46.
ianbirmingham | June 30, 2015 at 12:31 pm
Nate Silver analyzes causes of the rapid progress of SSM over at FiveThirtyEight…
[charts & analysis of causes & effects, then this conclusion:]…In the United States, gay marriage has gone from unthinkable to the law of the land in just a couple of decades. Homosexuality has gone from “the love that dare not speak its name” — something that could get you locked up, beat up, ostracized or killed, as is still the case in much of the world — into something that’s out-and-proud, so to speak.
In my view, of course, Americans have gotten the question of gay marriage right. So I’ll be among the 60 percent celebrating the decision tonight.
But as Graham writes, there are any number of issues on which the moral consensus we have today will be regarded as backward by our children or grandchildren. So as you celebrate or commiserate tonight, maintain some humility too. Gay marriage wasn’t the first issue on which society changed its mind, and it surely won’t be the last. What makes it unusual is that the shift has occurred within our generation, fast enough for us Americans to experience it firsthand.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/change-doesnt-…
47.
ianbirmingham | June 30, 2015 at 12:34 pm
SSM is the 2nd most predictive indicator of political party affiliation!
…In the Republican column, the coefficient for gay marriage is large and negative, meaning that supporting it substantially reduces the likelihood that someone will identify as Republican. In fact, based on the regressions, the only variable more predictive of Republican identification is whether a person believes health care coverage is the government’s responsibility. Gay marriage is more important than classic “wedge issues” like guns or abortion in predicting whether someone identifies as a Republican.
Let’s be clear about what these results mean. What they say is that if I meet you at a picnic and you tell me that you support gay marriage, that gives me a lot of information about whether you’re a Republican — more than almost any other attitudinal question I might ask you. …
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-gop-may-r…
48.
DJSNOLA | June 30, 2015 at 1:02 pm
Interesting, although it seems more true that if your against gay marriage its more clear what your affiliation is than if you say you support gay marriage.
49.
F_Young | June 30, 2015 at 3:51 pm
Ellen DeGeneres Influenced Gay Rights Views More Than Any Other Celebrity (Study)
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/ellen-degeneres-g…
50.
F_Young | June 30, 2015 at 3:58 pm
Majority supports Obamacare, gay marriage Supreme Court decisions
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/poll-obamac…
51.
LK2013 | June 30, 2015 at 4:00 pm
We can thank Chief Justice Roberts and all the RATS for this … their idiotic and vitriolic dissents just embolden the bigots.
http://www.advocate.com/business/2015/06/30/tenne…
52.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 4:40 pm
Well, the business man is entitled to his religious beliefs…..he is NOT entitled to deny services to Gays…..and does he mean he won't serve Lesbians either? My problem with this damn pick and choose Christians is they WON'T deny service to adulterers, fornicators, liars, thieves, or folks who have divorced……but he's outraged over Gays and Lesbians having the right to marry…..seems more like a damn Hypocrite if ya ask me.
I wonder if this man knows that supposed Christians have the highest rate of divorces, as well as the highest rate of molesting children……..ugh:(
53.
netoschultz | June 30, 2015 at 4:05 pm
So similar
The counties in Alabama issuing marriage licenses now https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1…
The counties in Alabama that issued marriage licenses in February https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_i…
54.
1grod | June 30, 2015 at 5:52 pm
Neto & Rick: Thank you. The 44 AL counties represent 81% of the citizens of the state. On February 18's highpoint, 47 counties representing 83% of the state's population were issuing licenses. In comparison of the two periods Shelby (pop:195085) is in, while Tuscaloosa (194656) is out; Marshall (93019) is in, while Lauderdale( 92709) is out, Walker (67032) is in, while Colbert (54446) is out. etc. Any hope of getting the outs, back in? Judge Granada's potential action, as well as what is going elsewhere in the country (ie Kansas, Texas etc) may be the needed writing on the wall. Going ahead of the previous highpoint could be a significant indicator of obvious momentum.
55.
1grod | July 1, 2015 at 2:01 am
82%! AL Probate Judge David Money of Henry Co (17302) has reportedly said office would be open today and 'his staff will be issuing to all couples'. Probate Judge Jerry Pow of Bibb Co (22597) reportedly said he will issue licenses to all couples, gay and straight, in light of the Supreme Court ruling.
.
56.
VIRick | June 30, 2015 at 4:28 pm
From WAFF, we have the license-issuing status of each Tennessee Valley county of northern Alabama as follows, accurate as of 5 PM Monday, 30 June:
•Colbert – no licenses to anyone
•DeKalb – issuing licenses to all
•Franklin – issuing licenses to all (NEW, since 3 PM)
•Jackson – issuing licenses to all
•Lauderdale – no licenses to anyone
•Lawrence – issuing licenses to all
•Limestone – issuing licenses to all
•Madison – issuing licenses to all
•Marshall – issuing licenses to all
•Morgan – issuing licenses to all
The ACLU of Alabama issued a statement Friday saying they have a hotline set up for anyone who has problems or is denied a marriage license. The number for the hotline is 334-265-2754.
57.
ianbirmingham | June 30, 2015 at 6:02 pm
The Advocate is reporting that Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has just compared Obergefell to the Holocaust. But I can't link to the article because the site has crashed, presumably due to heavy traffic…
The Advocate is also reporting that an Arkansas county clerk has resigned rather than issue licenses for same-sex marriage. Both stories appear on news.yahoo.com with links to the story pages on advocate.com.
58.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 6:08 pm
http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equalit…
59.
AstrophelAgonistes | June 30, 2015 at 6:24 pm
Sounds like a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
60.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 6:26 pm
I read it and I would agree……lol!!
61.
ianbirmingham | June 30, 2015 at 6:29 pm
A county clerk in Arkansas is resigning effective Tuesday rather than issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the Associated Press reports.
Cleburne County Clerk Dana Guffey told the AP she met with Judge Jerry Holmes today and informed him she would resign because she had a moral objection to granting licenses for same-sex marriages. … Guffey has held the elected position of county clerk for 24 years. ….
Cleburne County is located about 65 miles north of Little Rock. It is named for a Confederate general, Patrick Cleburne, who may have been gay, according to historians. In Conduct Unbecoming: Gays & Lesbians in the U.S. Military, Randy Shilts wrote of “Cleburne’s intimate relationship” with an aide, Capt. Irving Ashby Buck, and said the Confederacy “appeared to have a celebrated gay general” in Cleburne. Shilts cited as evidence a Cleburne biographer’s statements that Buck “shared Cleburne’s labors during the day and his blankets at night” and that the two men had a “very strong” attachment. The 19th-century biographer perhaps did not mean to imply that the relationship was romantic or sexual, but it’s worth noting that Cleburne never married. …
http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equalit…
Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, a staunch opponent of LGBT rights, is calling the U.S. Supreme Court decision for marriage equality so immoral that it’s comparable to Nazi war crimes.
In an interview with AL.com, a website for several Alabama newspapers, a reporter asked Moore if he would enforce the decision. He replied contentiously that judges do not enforce the law, and brought up Nazi Germany’s mass murder of Jews as an example of people following immoral orders.
“Could I do this if I were in Nuremberg [at the war crimes trials after World War II], say that I was following the orders of the highest authority to kill Jews? … Could I say I was ordered to do so?"
When an AL.com reporter reminded Alabama's top jurist that the Nuremberg trials were about "killing human beings, not gay marriage," Moore reportedly responded with a question: "Is there a difference?" …
http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equalit…
62.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 6:39 pm
Good for her…….at least she had the courage to resign instead of just not doing her job and I wonder how many divorcees she married or issued Marriage licenses to? Fornicators? Adulterers? and so on? Yet, it was her issue with Gays and Lesbians getting married that was the problem……well, in my book she's probably still a hypocrite!!
63.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 6:54 am
At least like you said she took her bigotry with her. The thing is these people dont have problems with otherthings they just dont like gay people. At least what we all knew to be true is completely visible to the world now. As someone said earlier, we were lucky our opponents were so bigoted and unable to comprimise. we would have never accomplished so much so quickly without them as foils.
64.
VIRick | June 30, 2015 at 6:00 pm
The latest up-dated inter-active Texas state map (as of 11:30 AM, on 30 June 2015) from the "Dallas Morning News," indicates the following county-by-county compliance rate for Texas' 254 counties:
155 – Yes, issuing to all
–58 – No, waiting on official advice or forms
–31 – No, waiting on software up-date
—3 – No, have religious objections
—7 – Unknown
65.
guitaristbl | June 30, 2015 at 7:21 pm
"—3 – No, have religious objections "
This is a problem and needs to be addresed. In a state where no anti discrimination protections exist, such as Texas, there should at the very least be a person in every county willing to serve same sex couples. In these 3 counties NO ONE can serve a same sex couple ? Seriously ? And that is supposed to stand any level of scrutiny ?
66.
RobW303 | June 30, 2015 at 7:54 pm
Is it in Texas where you MUST get the license from your local county clerk? If so (and they haven't arranged for other non-objecting personnel to be available during all working hours), it surely won't stand up. As for the contingency case, what if I develop a religious objection to filing and typing? Should my job be protected, with other employees doing those tasks for me? It's pure rubbish.
67.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 8:10 pm
I would agree and would it be acceptable for me to exercise my deeply held religious beliefs to deny a marriage license to a couple because one of them had a divorce decree? I mean as the saying goes, what's good for the Fundie is Good enough for me……lol!!
68.
Fortguy | June 30, 2015 at 8:59 pm
There are no restrictions in Texas. You can live in one county, get a license in another, and have the wedding officiated in a third. The clerk has multiple responsibilities and requires a staff in all but the smallest counties. In the largest counties, licenses are often available at several offices within the same county even though there is only one elected clerk overseeing the staff at different places.
The number of counties not issuing licenses to gay and lesbian couples due to religious objections has now been reduced to two: Kimble and Lipscomb. Hood County will soon be issuing licenses. The clerk, Katie Lang, has relented, although she says she will not personally issue the licenses herself no doubt due to the merciless badgering she received in middle school from having a name similar to a famous lesbian musician/singer/songwriter.
The article link also includes the new map to which VIRick referred.
69.
VIRick | July 1, 2015 at 2:11 am
"…. a famous lesbian musician/singer/songwriter."
And would that be none other than K.D. Lang?
70.
Fortguy | July 1, 2015 at 11:41 pm
Yes, of course. Even if K.D. Lang had never come out, Katie still would have been subjected to adolescent ridicule because the sexuality of Canadians is always suspect among rednecks.
71.
Tony MinasTirith | July 1, 2015 at 1:48 am
Exactly. My religion requires me to pray I
in solitude from 10 am to 2 pm every day… and I sincerely beleive it and sincerely want to do it, so any government employer should make accommodations for my "sincerely" held religious beliefs. Oh, and my relegious beliefs don't allow me to support a govt via taxation that kills people via a death penalty or warfare. So, I get a pass on paying taxes that support govt sponsored murder.
And what if one of them beleives sinners should be stoned to death and men must be circumcised? Is she going to stone the sinners to death all by herself? Can they throw rocks back? And is she going to get to be the Penis Inspector General to assure only circumcised men are served? What if she is KKK… it's a deeply held belief… No coloreds served in her office.
72.
RnL2008 | July 1, 2015 at 1:58 am
This is a funny video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntC0PNHFRgU
73.
Tony MinasTirith | July 1, 2015 at 2:42 am
That was great Rose. I bet RBG played that for Kennedy after oral arguments, to ease his concerns about the word "millennium".
It's a new millennium now baby!
74.
RnL2008 | July 1, 2015 at 2:52 am
It was made shortly after the Passage of Prop 8……..here's another one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNiqfRyoAyA
Oh and this is a great one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFkeKKszXTw
75.
Tony MinasTirith | July 1, 2015 at 3:06 am
That was a great response to Maggie Gallagher!
Have you seen this one? This is a great response to Sutton and Roberts:
http://youtu.be/ganRbr-WBiI
76.
VIRick | June 30, 2015 at 10:48 pm
One federal lawsuit for non-compliance has already been filed in Texas (against the Smith County clerk in Tyler TX, which ironically is now colored BLUE, so they're now issuing licenses, but may have begun one day too late).
Another Texas clerk, in Hood County (Granbury), one of the three definite "religious objection" red counties, and the closest one to civilization, is totally begging for it, and apparently intends to glow and shine while relishing her greatly enhanced status as "martyr/victim." Early today, she posted a lengthly diatribe on the county government's website to spew her warped mess about how the Supreme Court ‘fabricated a new constitutional right’ by letting gays marry.
The article in the "Dallas Morning News" about it, ripping her a new-found orifice, is here: http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/06/hood-c…
Or you can read the same horseshit hot from the horse's ass on the pompously insane county clerk's website here: https://www.co.hood.tx.us/index.aspx?nid=211
Or read the news article right here:
Hood County Clerk Katie Lang
Katie Lang, the county clerk in Hood County, wants to make it perfectly clear: Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling Friday morning, she will not be issuing same-sex marriage licenses “due to my religious convictions.” She posted a lengthy statement explaining her objections on the county website Tuesday morning, mostly to avoid having to answer one more media member’s question about what the what.
She says Attorney General Ken Paxton has given her — and all Texas county clerks — the thumbs-up to ignore the ruling.
“In the Attorney General’s opinion, Ken Paxton, issued in response to Lt. Governor Patrick’s request for guidance, we find that although it fabricated a new constitutional right in 2015, the Supreme Court did not diminish, overrule, or call into question the First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion that formed the first freedom in the Bill of Rights in 1791,” she writes from her office about 80 miles southwest of Dallas. “This newly invented federal constitutional right to same-sex marriage should peaceably coexist alongside longstanding constitutional and statutory rights, including the rights to free exercise of religion and speech. This opinion concludes that:
“County clerks and their employees retain religious freedoms that may allow accommodation of their religious objections to issuing same-sex marriage licenses. The strength of any such claim depends on the particular facts of each case.”
Her phone number is: 817-579-3222.
The other two county clerks with "religious objections" are:
Kimble County (Junction), pop. 4500
Lipscomb County (Lipscomb), pop.3500
Hood County Clerk Katie Lang
Hood County District Clerk Katie Lang
UPDATE at 7 PM, 30 June 2015.: Hood County Clerk Katie Lang now says her office will issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after all. She won’t have anything to do with them, but her staff, she says, will comply with the law.
77.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 11:43 pm
Well, I hate to break it to her but Paxton DOESN'T have the authority to tell her that she DOESN'T have to do her job because of her religious convictions and it is obvious that Paxton did NOT read the Hobby Lobby ruling that clearly states that one's religious beliefs CAN'T be used as grounds to DISCRIMINATE and both Paxton plus ANY other clerk who is UNWILLING to follow the ruling and law of the Supreme Court should be arrested for contempt of Court and sent to Leavenworth until such time as they are willing to comply!!!
78.
VIRick | June 30, 2015 at 11:49 pm
Rose, I was desperately trying to post the UPDATE as she didn't even survive her 15 minutes of fame before crawling back under her rock. Not even 12 hours later, we have this retraction/about-face/eating-of-humble-pie:
UPDATE at 7 PM, 30 June 2015.: Hood County Clerk Katie Lang now says her office will issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after all. She won’t have anything to do with them, but her staff, she says, will comply with the law.
79.
RnL2008 | June 30, 2015 at 11:56 pm
See, it's like the Pastor who said he'd set himself on fire of SCOTUS overturned the 6th and they did……then he retracted his statement and said he didn't mean it…….these damn supposed Christians……they CAN'T even stand solid in their supposed convictions!!!
I'm so disappointed!!!
Just like this donor donated a $100,00 dollars to Girl Scouts in West Washington……until the donor realized that Girl Scouts accepts Transgender girls……..the donor was willing to allow the Council to keep the money as long as it didn't support this or any other Transgender girl, otherwise the donor wanted the money returned….well the GS Council returned the money, then someone set them up a fund like gofundme, but with a different company and the Council received over $200,000 in donations like in a day…….I'm telling ya, STUPID should hurt!!!
80.
VIRick | July 1, 2015 at 12:04 am
Now, it's on to the next situation in rural northeastern Kentucky where matters have become much more serious, with demonstrators, counter-demonstrators, media, the glare of spotlights, and a very worried clerk hiding in her office after she refused to issue a marriage license (because of "religious objections") to a local lesbian couple in the heretofore unknown town of Morehead KY.
81.
RnL2008 | July 1, 2015 at 12:11 am
Frankly, hold these clerks in contempt and fine them everyday UNTIL they get the message……..I DON'T care what their personal religious beliefs are…….if you CAN'T do your job, the do the right thing and resign so someone else can.
These idiots who claim that their religious convictions are why they CAN'T issue marriage licenses to Gay and Lesbian couples DON'T seem to have a problem issuing marriage licenses to folks who have divorced multiple times, who are fornicators, who are adulterers or who have committed other sins, but it's those ICKY Gays and Lesbians they have issues with….NOT buying it!!!
82.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 6:48 am
Morehead? That name is just to much!
83.
Fortguy | July 1, 2015 at 1:00 am
It won't hurt her one bit. Hood County is so ridiculously Tea Party that she will be cheered during the 4th of July parade as if she were the homecoming queen.
The place is full of upper-crust exurbanites with their boat docks on Lake Granbury who gripe about their high taxes and their congested commute to work in Fort Worth without understanding the irony between the two.
The good news is that it looks like the office will be issuing licenses in time for 4th weekend weddings. Granbury's courthouse and surrounding square ringed with historic buildings are truly gorgeous and would be an awesome place for a mass gay wedding!
84.
Fortguy | June 30, 2015 at 9:34 pm
The DMN now has a new page with both maps embedded. The first map hasn't been updated since earlier this afternoon probably due to effort put into creating the second map.
Interactive maps: How Texas counties are handling same-sex marriage licenses
85.
ianbirmingham | June 30, 2015 at 6:20 pm
LGBT discrimination hinders Indonesia's progress, says commission
The chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Hafid Abbas has called for an end to discrimination and stigma against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, urging the government to issue more supportive regulations. … When he was asked to comment about the recent US Supreme Court ruling in favour of same-sex marriage, Hafid said Indonesian society was not ready for that. “It’s not the time yet,” he said.
http://www.asianewsnet.net/news-77357.html
86.
allan120102 | June 30, 2015 at 7:04 pm
Good news! Kansas might comply soon at federal court. As of right now AG Derek Schimidt have relent at state court. Hope he do it tomorrow or at the latest on Friday at federal court. http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Kansas-AG-…
87.
Zack12 | June 30, 2015 at 8:45 pm
Good article about Bernard Friedman, the district court judge in MI who struck down that state's ban. http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/20…
It's a shame Republican judges like him are a dying species, it truly is.
88.
SethInMaryland | June 30, 2015 at 9:14 pm
cool article , I'm glad Friedman is getting to rub it in the face of Sutton so much
89.
Zack12 | June 30, 2015 at 9:29 pm
Sad that Judge Heyburn of KY, who gave us the classic line of "these are not arguments" of serious people couldn't do the same.
90.
LK2013 | June 30, 2015 at 10:03 pm
If anyone needs some comic relief regarding the backlash insanity and inanity, here's a Jon Stewart antidote to the crackpots …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKW9BcUfrpc
91.
VIRick | July 1, 2015 at 12:17 am
Kentucky Non-Compliance Lawsuit Looming
MOREHEAD, KY – Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis shut her blinds at work Tuesday,30 June 2015, to block the view of rainbow-clad protesters outside. They carried flowers and flags and signs saying "you don't own marriage." They chanted "do your job." Moments later, she told a lesbian couple who walked in asking for a license to try another county.
Davis is among a handful of public officials across the Bible Belt so repulsed by the thought of enabling a same-sex marriage that they are defying the Supreme Court and refusing to issue a license to anyone, gay or straight. "It's a deep-rooted conviction; my conscience won't allow me to do that," Davis said. "It goes against everything I hold dear, everything sacred in my life."
Legal experts are dubious that religious freedom arguments will protect public officials who not only refuse to participate due to their own beliefs, but also decline to make accommodations so that others who don't object can serve the public instead. Two things can happen if a Kentucky clerk won't issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple: They can resign, or go to jail, said Sam Marcosson, a constitutional law professor at the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. "If it means that you simply cannot fulfill your duties because of your religious beliefs, what is required of you is that you can no longer hold that office," Marcosson said. "That applies to a judge, that applies to a senator, that applies to anyone who holds public office."
Clerks and probate judges hold the keys to marriage in counties around the country, and in many rural areas, there are few alternatives for hundreds of miles. Couples turned away could seek a court order, and a clerk who still refuses to issue a license could be jailed for contempt, Marcosson said.
They also risk criminal official misconduct charges, said Warren County Attorney Ann Milliken, president of the Kentucky County Attorneys Association. The misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail, is committed when a public servant "refrains from performing a duty imposed upon him by law or clearly inherent in the nature of his office."
A second clerk, Casey Davis, the clerk in Casey County, Kentucky, says he won't resign and he'd rather go to jail than issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple. None have yet come in to get one, he said.
. Lawrence County Clerk Chris Jobe, who also serves as president of the Kentucky County Clerks Association, told The Courier-Journal in Louisville that he would resume issuing licenses today, 30 June 2015, for fear of being removed from office. Several other Kentucky clerks made similar concessions.
But Davis stayed firm in denying one Tuesday to April Miller and Karen Roberts, a couple of 11 years who live in Morehead. The office of Kentucky Attorney-General Jack Conway encouraged any couples who are turned away to seek private counsel. Miller and Roberts contacted the ACLU of Kentucky to represent them.
"This is where we live; we pay taxes here, we vote here. And we want to get married here," said Miller. Outside Davis' office, drivers honked and waved, flew rainbow flags from their windows and shouted "love must win!" But a small group also gathered to support Davis, demonstrating the stark divide that remains in the most theologically conservative stretches of the South and Midwest, where state leaders fought hard for years to prevent same-sex marriage.
92.
RnL2008 | July 1, 2015 at 12:20 am
Here's another Clerk in Mississippi who gave marriage licenses to adulterers and thieves but CAN'T for Gays and Lesbians: http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/06/3…
From the article:
"I was kind of shocked, I don't know her personally but I never thought she was that way," Harbin said. "She's given marriage licenses to people who have committed adultery and stolen and lied, and when their parents haven't approved… it's just crazy the way she's thinking. That's her job and she's not there to judge people."
93.
Tony MinasTirith | July 1, 2015 at 2:01 am
Can someone tell me why clerks can refuse service to gay citizens, but we never hear of IRS employees refusing to accept or collect money from gay couples? Do they not have sincerely held relegious beliefs? They need to point out where in their holy book it says, I am the lord thy God and thou SHALL NOT issue marriage licences to Gays, even when the law says the gays have a fundamental right to get married. These people make up their beliefs as they go along. Doesn't Christ command them to love their neighbors as themselves? If their job requires them to spend ten minutes issuing a licence to a gay couple… why don't their "deeply" held beliefs tell them for every 10 minutes serving a gay couple, spend 10 hours helping out in a homeless shelter or a nursing home? How deep are these beliefs… really? What's the test?
94.
VIRick | July 1, 2015 at 12:56 am
Potential Mississippi Non-Compliance Lawsuit
In Mississippi, as of 2 PM on 30 June 2015, there were 10 counties (of 82 total) that were not yet issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The hold-out counties were: Tunica, Tallahatchie, Holmes, Attala, Issaquena, Scott, Smith, Simpson, Jasper, and Jones.
Jim Perry, of Mendenhall, and his longtime partner went to the Simpson County (Mendenhall) Circuit Clerk's office Tuesday morning to apply for a marriage license on the couple's 14th anniversary. After first being told by an employee that issuing such licenses was against the office's religious beliefs, Circuit Clerk Steve Womack then told the couple the office didn't have the correct paperwork to issue a license. An employee of the office who didn't provide her name to Perry told the couple that it was "against their religion and they're not going to issue them out of that office," said Perry, who works in the circulation department at "The Clarion-Ledger" in Jackson (so the major newspaper in Mississippi has its own in-house story, and thus, it wouldn't be overly-surprising if they were to continue to pursue this matter with their own legal counsel).
"He (Womack) said, 'I wish y'all the best of luck, but I can't help y'all here,'" Perry continued. When reached by cell phone on Tuesday, Womack answered. After the reporter identified herself (from the self-same "Clarion-Ledger"), the line disconnected. Womack did not return an additional call and text.
95.
Tony MinasTirith | July 1, 2015 at 2:15 am
Has anyone seen this from the AP? It seems to have come out of nowhere:
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Episcopalians are set to vote Wednesday on allowing religious weddings for same-sex couples, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide.
Wow… if the Episcopols join the Presbyterian's… and next year the Methodists hop on board the Marriage Equality Express…. Well we may see China hop on board the ME Express in our life time!
All Aboard! The Nationwide Marriage Equality Express is now leaving the United States. Out next Stop… Australia folks! Please place your tray tables in the upright position and fasten your seat belts! It's going to be a bumpy ride on the Marriage Express!
96.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 7:03 am
I think Australia is really feeling the pressure now… but we may get Slovenia first and maybe Colombia. But Im ok with detours on this flight.
97.
terryweldon | July 1, 2015 at 2:52 pm
The Episcopal vote was due at noon today. Bishops have already voted in favour, including the newly elected head of the Church, who says (like many other bishops) that they've already been doing it, without waiting for formal approval. It looks promising – but I've not yet been able to find a report on the outcome.
Anybody else had more success?
98.
F_Young | July 1, 2015 at 6:29 pm
Episcopalians Vote to Allow Gay Marriage in Churches
http://time.com/3944183/episcopalian-gay-marriage…
99.
davepCA | July 1, 2015 at 6:34 pm
Wow!!! This just keeps getting better….
100.
Tony MinasTirith | July 1, 2015 at 2:28 am
Here is the full story on tomorrow's Marriage Eq. Vote by the Episcopols
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/episcopali….
Lobby your Local Bishop Folks… or whomever will be casting votes. Another main line religion on our side would be a tremendous salvo for the cause of Marriage Equality.
101.
Tony MinasTirith | July 1, 2015 at 2:51 am
Breaking News:
Multi-Party Gay marriage bill to be introduced in August
JULY 01, 2015 5:44PM
http://mobile.news.com.au/lifestyle/relationships…
http://m.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-ne…
The debate over same-sex marriage will come to a head in August when a marriage equality bill moved by Liberal MP Warren Entsch and seconded by Labor MP Terri Butler and backed by a multi-party grouping will be introduced to Parliament.
102.
ianbirmingham | July 1, 2015 at 3:07 am
…the national director of Australian Marriage Equality, Rodney Croome, said the next five-and-a-half weeks would see rallies in all major capital cities, advertising campaigns and grass-roots campaigning in key seats where MPs have not yet declared a position.
"My best prediction at the moment is that it's very close and it might come down to one or two votes," Mr Croome said.
Since Mr Shorten's move in May, the US Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex marriage is legal in all US states.
Momentum has been building in the Labor Party for the reform, with frontbench MPs including Chris Bowen, Tony Burke and Ed Husic announcing in recent weeks they now support the reform.
At least 60 of the 80 Labor MPs in the upper and lower house will vote for the bill.
Australian Marriage Equality figures show Parliament is on the brink of having enough support to legislate same-sex marriage, needing just four more votes to pass a bill in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, it is calculated a bill could pass with a majority of one.
103.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 7:06 am
Call in some celebrities like Kylie Minogue and Nicole Kidman. Surely that can persuade one or two people.
104.
DACiowan | July 1, 2015 at 7:13 am
Kansas: Governor ShitBrownback is still "reviewing the [SCOTUS] decision." Topeka newspaper
Hey Brownback, re-reading Scalia and Thomas over and over is not "reviewing." With Jindal conceding that Louisiana agencies are recognizing marriages (sorry for the FoxNews link), Kansas is now the dead last state to be holding out on recognition.
105.
RnL2008 | July 1, 2015 at 7:47 am
That's funny…….but so true……keep re-reading the dissents, what a loser Brownback is!!!
106.
guitaristbl | July 1, 2015 at 9:15 am
Your assumption takes for granted brownback can read or read as fast as needed to be done with the decision by now. Big mistake.
107.
SethInMaryland | July 1, 2015 at 7:23 am
Good News: US Virgin Islands on board:Governor Kenneth Mapp has announced that he’s currently working on an executive order to direct government agencies and departments to follow the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. Mapp made the announcement during a Tuesday morning press conference at Government House, stating that upon taking office in January, he swore to uphold the laws of the land. “The Government of the Virgin Islands as a civil society can no longer discriminate on marriage,” Mapp said. “The nation has arrived, pursuant to the Supreme Court’s ruling, at full marriage equality — when two consenting adults appear for a marriage license and apply for that license, civil society is required to respond. And so persons of the same-sex can be married in the U.S. Virgin Islands.” The governor stressed that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling does not force churches and ministers to perform same-sex or any other kind of marriage, however as the territory’s leader, he must abide by the law.
108.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 7:34 am
So we are still waiting on word from American Samoa and Puerto Rico? And Antartica American Base(McMurdo Station)?
109.
SethInMaryland | July 1, 2015 at 7:43 am
Puerto Rico is already on board . about American Samoa I haven't been able to find anything yet
110.
wes228 | July 1, 2015 at 7:50 am
American Samoa is going to be an unusual case because they are granted much more autonomy from the Constitution than our other territories.
111.
DrBriCA | July 1, 2015 at 10:09 am
How about the Northern Mariana Islands? Have they confirmed they'll following the ruling yet?
112.
SethInMaryland | July 1, 2015 at 10:28 am
according to wiki The Governor's office says it will consult with the Attorney General on changes required to implement the Supreme Court decision. this all I could find
113.
wes228 | July 1, 2015 at 7:49 am
The Antarctic station and our unorganized territories (e.g. the United States Minor Outlying Islands) do not have their own governments and so are under the full control of the federal government (specifically, the Department of the Interior). Because the federal government does not issue marriage licenses, I don't think anybody can get married in those territories.
114.
DJSNOLA | July 1, 2015 at 8:39 am
Ok I just wanted Antartica so we could claim gay marriage is on 6 continents. Plays well! lol
115.
wes228 | July 1, 2015 at 9:09 am
France actually has a territorial claim in Antarctica that is part of their territory of the "French Southern and Antarctic Lands." Their marriage equality legislation included the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, so marriage equality is actually legal in some parts of Antarctica.
116.
davepCA | July 1, 2015 at 11:15 am
" I don't think anybody can get married in those territories " Hmm. That's interesting. So if any American couple who is stationed there, same or opposite sex, wanted to legally marry, they would be unable to and would have to wait until they could get back to some state to do so? Are there other U.S. federally claimed locations that are also neither a state nor a territory where this is true? That seems odd.
In any case, if an American who is already in a marriage to someone of the same sex were stationed there, their marriage is now recognized.
117.
davepCA | July 1, 2015 at 1:01 pm
Okay, I got curious and did a quick search and found some info about getting married at the South Pole: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/trending/2015-02/28/…
and: http://www.dmafrica.com/at-the-south-pole-antarct…
and: http://www.southpolestation.com/trivia/history/we…
118.
StraightDave | July 1, 2015 at 5:29 pm
"Your wedding ceremony … will be conducted by the Base Commander from either the Russian or the Indian Research Station, who is authorised to carry out such duties."
So…..
Can a SS couple request the Russian Commander to officiate? Have they cleared this little detail with him in advance? Not that the Indian guy is necessarily a slam-dunk, either.
Larger question – is the South Pole LGBT-friendly?
119.
davepCA | July 1, 2015 at 9:30 am
Wow, this was unexpected!
VIRick, can you fill us in on this development?
120.
davepCA | July 1, 2015 at 2:23 pm
I have looked through the comments and I don't think we have seen a post from VIRick since this announcement about the U.S. Virgin Islands from this morning.
VIRick, I hope you're celebrating!
121.
ianbirmingham | July 1, 2015 at 2:42 pm
VIRick last talked about the VI two days ago as he was working on his plan for judicial accomplishment of marriage equality… but the VI Governor has now beaten him to it!
——
2 days ago @ Equality on Trial – BREAKING: Supreme Cour… · 4 replies · +1 points
"Tell me more!"
That's why I want you to check my profile and then send me an e-mail, as I'm hatching plan here, but it takes two to tango. The chief judge here is a personal friend, and would likely be willing to issue a summary judgment in favor of marriage equality, in light of the Supreme Court decision.
He has the new gender-neutral application forms ready. Now he needs a same-sex couple willing to give it a push.
DrBri, I'm sending you an e-mail with the details. See what you think, given that you have already had one "heads up" previously.
122.
davepCA | July 1, 2015 at 3:43 pm
Yes, I spoke with him about it just the other day too, about the apparent stalemate between the governor and the legislature. This mornings news seems like a really nice surprise! I hope that the fact we haven't heard from him today is a good sign……
123.
VIRick | July 1, 2015 at 10:13 pm
"VIRick last talked about the VI two days ago as he was working on his plan for judicial accomplishment of marriage equality… but the VI Governor has now beaten him to it!"
Ian, indeed, he did! But allowing it to happen that way was far less messy, and was accomplished without any public drama. The governor here did need to act, by issuing an executive order changing the law, as that's the simplest, most direct way to obtain the desired results when dealing with a codified system of law.