Will the South be the place where marriage inequality finally meets its demise? The latest ruling from a federal court proves that even traditionally gay-unfriendly Dixie can’t withstand the force of law. U.S. District Court Judge Aleta Trauger has ruled that Tennessee must recognize the marriages of same-sex couples performed elsewhere and said point blank that the state’s ban on marriage equality is doomed.
“At this point, all signs indicate that, in the eyes of the United States Constitution, the plaintiffs’ marriages will be placed on an equal footing with those of heterosexual couples and that proscriptions against same-sex marriage will soon become a footnote in the annals of American history,” Trauger, a Clinton appointee, wrote in her opinion.
Trauger’s ruling echoes a similar federal court decision in Kentucky and is just the latest in a string of victories for marriage equality in unlikely states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah.
The Tennessee case was brought by three couples who were married elsewhere but who live in Tennessee. At present, the ruling applies only to those couples, but it’s plain from Trauger’s ruling that the state’s ban on marriage is on life support. Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper issued a statement saying that his office would “take all necessary steps to defend the law.” He could save taxpayers a lot of money if he followed the example of Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, who refuses to defend his state’s ban on marriage because it’s wrong. We guess Cooper will just have to learn that lesson the hard way, from more court cases.
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PARKAVMAN
But Kentucky’s Governor decided to waste taxpayer money and hired an outside law firm to defend their law. He’s already paid them a retainer.
Dakotahgeo
@PARKAVMAN: Let the man waste his money. When it comes to standing and the Court’s opinion, he won’t have anywhere to go. He has no stake in the final decision!
Hermes
@PARKAVMAN: And that’s completely ok. Governor Bashear has to defend the possibility of another Democratic governor, which he cannot do by folding on something the majority of the citizens want. People have to change at their own speed. The courts can’t make us popular. Having Democrats is ALWAYS preferable to having Republican – in any state – even conservadems – so – let Bashear do what he needs to do and lets hope that we can also elect Senator Grimes. :0)
Hermes
SteveDenver
The United States of America: Where idiots argue over who may have a marriage license, but will fight like rabid mongrels for everyone to have an assault rifle.
Let these wealthy southern states (smirk) waste their money. As far as I’m concerned, let the legal system drag the kicking and screaming over hot coals and broken glass. I’m glad that their wailing and gnashing of teeth is coming sooner than later.
Dakotahgeo
@SteveDenver: AMEN! Add in a few TX scorpions to the mix. THEN they WILL be doin’ the gnashin’ and wailin’ dance!
Paulie
Hi!
I’m so glad to hear about whatever this supreme court ruling. Hopefully, more such rulings will pave the way to ending homophobic bigotry in this country-finally
Cam
@Hermes:
No, having Democrats who attack gay rights is not preferable. We had that for decades and got no movement. It was ONLY when HRC was shoved out of the way and the grass roots forced the Democrats to take up our issues that we got any movement.
AS for your comment that people have to change at their own speed. Well as late as 2000 close to a majority of people in the state of Alabama still wanted interracial marriage to be illegal. Should that have been left illegal just because those folks hadn’t decided to change yet? Of course not. Nobody is asking the courts to make us popular, but they absolutely have to defend our civil rights. And your thinking that the hatred of the bigots is somehow deserving of excuses but our desire for our civil rights is irrelevant is a throwback to the old, discredited HRC way of doing things.
mcflyer54
@PARKAVMAN: Kentucky’s governor is not the first, nor will he be the last elected official to waste to taxpayer’s money. He’s simply pandering to his base (as do all politicians) and, when he loses this battle, he’ll blame the liberal activists judges and hold his hand out for another donation so that he can continue to fight for “his” people.
EGO
Whether it is intelligence or money, eventually they will support marriage equality.
Tommy
I have a hard time understanding why this is a state issue, and couldn’t be a federal issue that the supreme court solved by forcing all states to accept gay-marriage. It’s very time consuming and inevitable tbh,