On Thursday, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore clarified his position in an interview with the Associated Press. "Until further clarification, (the probate judges) are bound by state law," Moore said. His remarks drew immediate condemnation from pro-homosexual organizations. In addition, Some of the judges who had stopped issuing licenses after Moore's order resumed issuing them on Thursday after consulting with attorneys.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has again emphasized that same-sex "marriage" is the "law of the land – including in Alabama." In a statement issued Wednesday night, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said that the administrative order issued by Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore indicates that more work needs to be done to "ensure that marriage equality is guaranteed and enforced nationwide."
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore said in an interview Wednesday afternoon that he did not intend to defy the nation's highest court, but said that there were "conflicting orders" between the U.S. Supreme Court and the Alabama Supreme Court, which upheld the state's bans on same-sex "marriage" last March, three months before the U.S. Supreme Court declared similar bans to be "unconstitutional" in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Despite a ruling from the United States Supreme Court purporting to overturn state amendments that define marriage as between one man and one woman, the windows at the marriage license counter are closed to all couples in Mobile County, Alabama following an unexpected order from Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore on Wednesday.
A Spartanburg County lawmaker says his attempt to oppose same-sex "marriage" reflects the will of his constituents. Rep. Bill Chumley, R-Woodruff, and Rep. Mike Burns, R-Taylors, have pre-filed a bill in the South Carolina House of Representatives that would continue to define marriage as between one man and one woman. The bill is titled the "South Carolina Natural Marriage Defense Act."
On Wednesday, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore issued an order telling Alabama probate judges not to issue any marriage licenses to same-sex couples. He said, "Until further decision by the Alabama Supreme Court, the existing orders of the Alabama Supreme Court that Alabama probate judges have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary to the Alabama Sanctity of Marriage Amendment or the Alabama Marriage Protection Act remain in full force and effect." You can read the rest of Chief Justice Moore's order here.
Chief Justice Roy Moore issued an order today saying that a ruling issued last March by the Alabama Supreme Court remains in effect and that probate judges "have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary" to Alabama's law and constitutional amendment banning same-sex "marriage." In a four-page administrative order, Moore said the conflict between the state court ruling and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June has caused "confusion and uncertainty" among probate judges.
CHARLOTTE, Tenn. — Dickson County commissioners have decided to go forward with a resolution that would oppose the Supreme Court's Obergefell ruling. The court house was packed Monday night with people on both sides of the issue. In the end, no commissioner opposed moving the resolution forward. The commission will take it's final vote on Tuesday, January 19.
A legislative battle over restroom usage is brewing in Washington after a state commission enacted rules requiring that bathroom, shower and locker room use in public accommodations be based on "gender identity," not sex. State legislators are already working to draft bills in reaction to the Washington State Human Rights Commission’s newly enacted rules, saying the panel overstepped its authority.
Dickson County could join a growing number of Tennessee counties that are trying to counteract the Supreme Court's Obergefell ruling. Monday night, the Dickson County Commission will discuss a resolution urging State lawmakers to press Congress for an amendment to the Constitution that would "return power over the definition of marriage to the people of the various states."
Unicoi County could become the next Tennessee county to join a movement calling for resistance to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell ruling. Following a presentation by members of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, the Unicoi County Commission on Monday voted to have County Attorney Doug Shults review two versions of a resolution calling for resistance, and draft up a final to be considered at the January meeting.
The owners of an Oregon bakery who denied service to a same-sex couple have paid more than $135,000 in state-ordered damages – months after refusing to do so – according to state officials. Tyler Smith, an attorney representing Aaron and Melissa Klein, said his clients have not abandoned their appeal. Smith said it was in his clients’ best interests to pay now rather than wait for the appeal date, which is slated for next year.
While Tennessee legislators are still studying what, if any, action should be taken to oppose a U.S. Supreme Court decision purporting to redefine marriage, state Rep. Rick Womick has proposed a new option: Eliminate state marriage licenses completely. "That would take the state out of the marriage business altogether," said Womick. "I think that's probably the best approach given the legal climate."
A district judge in Utah has issued an amended birth certificate that lists two women — Nicki Bidlack and the late Sara Clow — as the "mothers" of a 2-year-old boy. Clow died in September of 2014. Because Bidlack and Clow's same-sex relationship was not recognized as a "marriage" by the state — Clow's estate, death benefits, and 2-year-old son were out of Bidlack's reach until now.
U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson has ruled that "sexual orientation" is covered under a federal law that bans gender-based discrimination in federally funded colleges, allowing two former women's basketball players to proceed with their lawsuit against Pepperdine University. In their lawsuit, former basketball players Haley Videckis and Layana White alleged that they were removed from the team because of their same-sex relationship.
Hawkins County commissioners will wait until next month to consider approval of a resolution asking the Tennessee General Assembly to resist a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that purported to redefine marriage for all fifty states. Commissioner B.D Cradic, the resolution's sponsor, decided to give his fellow commissioners an opportunity to read the resolution and come to the Jan. 25 meeting ready to act on it.
Matt Bevin, Kentucky's new Republican governor, filed five executive orders late Tuesday, including one that removes county clerks’ names from marriage licenses. Bevin cited the Kentucky Religious Freedom Restoration Act as he removed the names of counties and county clerks. This grants the request of Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis, who spent five days in jail earlier this year for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
New York City's Human Rights Commission is establishing what advocates called some of the most powerful guidelines nationwide on "gender-identity" discrimination, releasing specifics Monday to flesh out a broad 2002 law. Even using pronouns that do not conform to a person's "gender-identitiy" will be considered illegal under the guidelines. Those found guilty of discrimination will be fined up to $250,000.
The United States government on Monday overturned its 30-year ban on blood donations by homosexual men, saying they can now donate 12 months after their last sexual contact with another man. The Food and Drug Administration said its decision to reverse the policy was based on an examination of the latest science which shows that an indefinite ban is not necessary to prevent transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Homosexuality won’t be referred to as a sin anymore at the Jan Evans Juvenile Justice Center in Reno, Nevada. The Washoe County juvenile detention center said it will now offer more "tolerant" Sunday services and Bible classes after parting ways with its longtime chaplain, Marvin Neal. Neal was terminated for reading Scripture passages that label homosexuality as a sin. A new chaplain is undergoing a background check.
The cave-in at the major Boston Harvard-affiliated hospital is complete. The Board of Directors of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has formally notified Dr. Paul Church that they are upholding his expulsion from the hospital and that his medical privileges there are terminated. His crime? Voicing both medical and moral concerns to his colleagues about the hospital’s aggressive promotion of pro-homosexual activities.
A homosexual "rights" advocacy group is suing the state of Minnesota for not allowing sex-reassignment surgery to be covered by its publicly funded health assistance programs. OutFront Minnesota filed suit on Thursday, arguing the state statute "arbitrarily and illegally deprives transgender people suffering from gender dysphoria of medically necessary care that is provided to every other Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare recipient."
On Wednesday, Norfolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins ruled that an all-girls Catholic prep school in Massachusetts violated state anti-discrimination law by rescinding a job offer to a man in a same-sex "marriage." Matthew Barrett was offered a job as Fontbonne Academy’s food services director in 2013, but the offer was withdrawn days later after he listed his male partner as his emergency contact.
A same-sex couple sued state Department of Health and Human Service officials Thursday in an attempt to have the birth certificates of two boys amended to include both women’s names. Melissa Weiss and Meredith Weiss each have one son. They have applied to have the birth certificates of both boys amended, but have not heard back from state officials, which they claim is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment.
A video recently posted online shows Tenn. Rep. Mark Pody speaking at a church about his "Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act." After reading Ezekiel 3:17, Pody said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe I am supposed to be speaking to the unsaved, to the people that are performing same sex marriages, for the people involved in same sex marriage. It is wicked, it is wrong and I am doing the best I can to warn them."