North Carolina Lawmakers Attempt to Defy Supreme Court on Gay Marriage
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North Carolina GOP Reps. Larry Pittman, Michael Speciale, and Carl Ford introduced the "Uphold Historical Marriage Act" this week, which argues that when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 to uphold same-sex marriage as a “fundamental right” it “overstepped its constitutional bounds.”
Whereas, the ruling of the United States Supreme Court not only exceeds the 19 authority of the Court relative to the State of North Carolina and a vote of the People of the 20 State on an issue pertaining solely to the State of North Carolina and the People of North 21 Carolina but also exceeds the authority of the Court relative to the decree of Almighty God that 22 "a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become 23 one flesh" (Genesis 2:24, ESV) and abrogates the clear meaning and understanding of marriage 24 in all societies throughout prior history;
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has publicly criticized the legislation on Twitter and the Republican Speaker of the House for North Carolina, Rep. Tim Moore, said he was referring the bill to the House Rules Committee and that it wouldn’t be heard on the House floor.
North Carolina is still recovering from controversy around HB2, a 2016 bill that banned transgender people from using the public bathroom of their choice. Corporations, sports leagues and artists all put strong pressure on the state, pulling games, concerts, events and planned expansions. Reports estimated that the state will lose $3.76 billion over more than a dozen years despite the law being partially repealed in March because of companies nixing planned expansions.
North Carolina is not the only state attempting to override the Supreme Court decision. Arkansas lawmakers also attempted to advance a bill overturning the decision in March, but scuttled the effort when confronted with public outcry.
Since the bill has been sent to committee and the House Leader does not plan to allow it to advance to the floor, it has no chance. But that does not mean the bill’s proponents will give up. In the bill they cite the 61 percent vote in favor of the state’s 2012 amendment to outlaw same-sex marriage, though state fact checkers have disputed those numbers.
During the civil rights era, some southern states repeatedly tried to defy the Supreme Court over the federal abolition of segregation. Ultimately, their efforts were unsuccessful. Only time will tell if these Southern legislators will also have to submit to the sweep of history.
Should states pursue legislation to outlaw same-sex marriage in defiance of the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling? Use the "Take Action" button to let your reps know what you think!
— Asha Sanaker
(Photo Credit: Benson Kuta via Wikimedia / Creative Commons)
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