A North Carola official rigned Thursday rather than perform gay marriag, an dividual stand that as fewer and fewer stat are holdg on to oppose same-sex unns. Triggered by a U.S. Supreme Court cisn last week, lower urts across the natn have moved to strike down gay marriage bans. Among the holdouts are nservative stat such as Arizona and Wyomg, and their fiance agast a ti of lgs that give hope to those who want to see same-sex unns legalized every state. The North Carola magistrate who qu his job said performg gay marriag would vlate his relig beliefs. Here are some other recent velopments: ___ ALASKA The 9th U.S. Circu Court of Appeals has blocked gay marriage Alaska while the state asks the U.S. Supreme Court to rtore s ban. Unls the high urt acts, the temporary stay imposed by the feral appeals urt for the Wt will dissolve Friday afternoon, allowg gay marriag to go forward. A District Court judge stck down Alaska's 15-year-old gay marriage ban, which helped spark the natnal bate, sayg Sunday that vlated protectns of the U.S. Constutn that guarantee due procs and equal protectn unr the law. Gay upl began applyg for marriage certifit Monday, begng a three-day clock to when ceremoni uld be held. Some upl, however, received waivers and have already married. ___ ARIZONA State lawyers have argued that a District Court judge should uphold Arizona's gay marriage ban bee the Wt's feral appeals urt hasn't issued a blanket mandate that would legalize same-sex unns across the regn. Thursday's filg starts the clock on a urt lg that many expect will soon lead to same-sex marriag Arizona. A District Court judge is nsirg two s that seek to make gay marriage legal the state and has said 's likely that last week's 9th Circu Court lg that stck down gay marriage bans elsewhere the regn means Arizona's ban — approved by lawmakers 1996 and add to the Arizona Constutn by voters 2008 — also will fall. ___ NORTH CAROLINA A unty magistrate has rigned a day after North Carola officials were warned that refal to perform gay marriag uld lead to their beg spend or fired. The memo said state magistrat who refe to marry same-sex upl are vlatg their sworn oaths, but Rockgham County Magistrate John Kallam Jr. said Thursday that when he took the oath, he didn't know he'd be required to perform gay marriag. The state directive me after a unty official refed to marry two men, cg relig objectns, and others followed. A feral judge last week stck down North Carola's same-sex marriage ban. ___ WYOMING A District Judge says he will le by Monday on a lawsu filed by four same-sex upl seekg to force the state to allow gay marriage rponse to a feral urt lg that appli to Wyomg. Wyomg is among the most nservative stat the natn wh Republins holdg all three of s ngrsnal seats, all five statewi elected offic and the vast majory of s state legislative seats. Cg the Supreme Court cisn, advot for gay marriage Wyomg say the state should immediately cease enforcg a law that f marriage as between a man and woman only. But Wyomg unty clerks have been unwillg to grant marriage licens to same-sex upl until they hear fively that they n do so.
Contents:
- NORTH CAROLA APPROV AMENDMENT BANNG GAY MARRIAGE
- GAY MARRIAGE BAN PASS IN NORTH CAROLA
- THE GAY MARRIAGE CASE THAT MAK NO SENSE
- NORTH CAROLA'S VOTE TO BAN GAY MARRIAGE IS A WARNG TO OBAMA
- NORTH CAROLA VOTERS BAN GAY MARRIAGE, CIVIL UNNS
- UNED CHURCH OF CHRIST CHALLENG NORTH CAROLA BAN ON GAY MARRIAGE
- GAY MARRIAGE: NORTH CAROLA OFFICIAL RIGNS
NORTH CAROLA APPROV AMENDMENT BANNG GAY MARRIAGE
North Carola joed s southern neighbors Tuday enshrg opposn to same-sex marriage the state nstutn, a move that churned the natnal bate over gay marriage spe havg ltle immediate effect si North Carola. * north carolina bans gay marriage *
RALEIGH, North Carola – North Carola joed s southern neighbors Tuday enshrg opposn to same-sex marriage the state nstutn, a move that churned the natnal bate over gay marriage spe havg ltle immediate effect si North state already banned gay marriage, so the amendment fg marriage as between a man and a woman did nothg to change that. Natnally, the vote was closely watched at a time when gay marriage is returng to the polil nversatn. Print Obama has faced prsure recent days to make his gay marriage stance more clear, after top officials his admistratn have eher endorsed gay marriage or spoken support of has said his view is "evolvg.
Billy Graham, 93, was featured full-page newspaper ads backg the Carola is the 30th state to pass a nstutnal amendment banng gay marriage. The vote mak North Carola the 30th state to adopt a ban on gay marriage. More stat will vote on gay marriage later this year.
GAY MARRIAGE BAN PASS IN NORTH CAROLA
A day after North Carola approved a nstutnal amendment banng gay marriage, opponents are explorg their next optns * north carolina bans gay marriage *
Washgton state voters are also expected to nsir a gay marriage ban while Mae November will vote on whether to approve same-sex marriage. The vote the key swg state me after a tough uple days for the Whe Hoe on the issue of gay marriage, which Print Barack Obama hasn’t publicly favored. But Vice Print Joe Bin and Edutn Secretary Arne Dunn both publicly endorsed marriage equaly recent days, makg their boss look behd the curve the gay muny.
THE GAY MARRIAGE CASE THAT MAK NO SENSE
Earlier this week, the Uned Church of Christ ma headl when filed a feral lawsu challengg North Carola’s ban on gay marriage. The... * north carolina bans gay marriage *
(Also on POLITICO: 10 memorable gay marriage quot).
NORTH CAROLA'S VOTE TO BAN GAY MARRIAGE IS A WARNG TO OBAMA
North Carolians voted to change the state nstutn Tuday to say that the only valid "domtic legal partnership" the state is marriage between a man and a woman. The amendment passed 61 to 39 percent, makg North Carola the 29th state wh a gay marriage ban s nstutn. The state already outlawed gay [...] * north carolina bans gay marriage *
In North Carola, the gay-marriage fight sparked an aggrsive mpaign by activists on both sis of the issue and drew a number of high-profile voic to the ay. Former Print Bill Clton — who is servg as a high-profile Obama surrogate — rerd a roboll opposg the amendment, notg that North Carola already has a state law banng gay marriage, and echog lol activists who say the measure uld weaken state laws protectg women om domtic vlence. The elr Graham, who was featured a full-page newspaper ad supportg the amendment, lked gay marriage to the tegry of the untry.
“That’s what the North Carola ballot iative would do — would sgle out and discrimate agast mted gay and lbian upl — and that’s why the Print do not support . ), chairwoman of the Democratic Natnal Commtee, lled the passage of the nstutnal amendment “very disappotg” and said “unfairly sgl out gay and lbian Amerins and is discrimatory. “I’m proud that Print Obama opposed Amendment One, as he has long believed that gay and lbian upl serve the same rights and legal protectns that straight upl already enjoy.
NORTH CAROLA VOTERS BAN GAY MARRIAGE, CIVIL UNNS
Sce 1998, stat have voted on gay marriage ballot measur 33 tim, and gay marriage opponents have won 32 tim. "We are not anti-gay; we are pro-marriage, " a proponent of the amendment says. We have gay iends.
“We are not anti-gay; we are pro-marriage, ” said Tami Fzgerald, chairwoman of the group. Print Barack Obama said he was “disappoted” by the vote, scribg as discrimatory agast gays and lbians, a spokman said.
The state already had a ban on gay marriage, but this amendment go further by barrg same-sex civil unns. On Meet the Prs, Vice Print Joe Bin exprsed his support for gay marriage. Earlier this week, the Uned Church of Christ ma headl when filed a feral lawsu challengg North Carola’s ban on gay marriage.
UNED CHURCH OF CHRIST CHALLENG NORTH CAROLA BAN ON GAY MARRIAGE
The su mak a novel argument: Bee state law mak a crime for a mister or other relig official to marry a gay uple—y, you read that right, a crime to marry a gay uple—the law vlat their relig eedom. This time, is pro-gay misters tryg to stand up for their rights and the rights of gay upl. Gay rights supporters were unequivol ridg the North Carola statute.
The threat of a mister gog to jail simply for celebratg a gay marriage is a real, and terrifyg, afont to the very premise of ‘ee exercise’ of relign. That’s even clearer wh rpect to gay upl (note the “hband” and “wife” language), given that gay marriage is not legal North Carola (at least not yet). If the UCC ends up argug that North Carola law mt regnize gay marriage for the sake of the clergy’s relig eedom, then the church’s se hg on the Constutn requirg the civil fn of marriage to nform to a relig fn.
Thanks to the Supreme Court’s cisn last June strikg down the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act, marriage equaly has enjoyed an unbroken wng streak urts across the untry on the basis of a far more straightforward argument: Gay upl are equal to everyone else. Equal treatment is the bt argument for gay marriage. / Associated PrsThe overwhelmg North Carola vote to fe marriage as legal only between a man and woman is an unequivol remr that gay marriage remas unappealg many parts of the untry, even as s support grows overall 's a warng for Print Obama, who is currently posned somewhere between supporters of gay marriage -- who clu mpaign backers and members of his own admistratn -- and ristant voters like those who helped pass the gay marriage ban this week the Tar Heel 's scriptn of himself as "evolvg" on the issue amounts to a public flirtatn, and has prompted speculatn that he'll bee a gay-marriage supporter time for the Democratic Natnal Conventn this summer Charlotte.
GAY MARRIAGE: NORTH CAROLA OFFICIAL RIGNS
Acrdg to the pro gay-marriage Human Rights Campaign, an array of battleground stat have siar bans, cludg Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Oh, Virgia, and Wisns.
"On a natnal level, supporters of gay marriage have gaed remarkable polil ground sce the issue was last ed as a wedge, durg the 2004 printial mpaign. In 2004, Gallup found a solid majory of Amerins opposed to changg marriage laws; a poll released Tuday, the anizatn found narrow majory support for gay marriage -- 50 percent to 48 percent. Gay marriage is legal six stat and will be two others if voters don't rail new laws.