Everyone please welcome Charles Cooper to the right side of history.
For decades, Cooper has been the lawyer on the other side of legal battles over marriage bans. He defended Hawaii’s marriage ban in the mid-’90s. And he was up to the same malarky as late as last year, when he defended Prop 8 before the Supreme Court.
But now his daughter, a lesbian, is getting married, and Cooper has confessed that he’s having second thoughts about discrimination. That’s great! We’d like to offer our congratulations to the happy couple, Ashley Lininger and Casey Cole, and our thanks to them for being such an inspiration.
And while their wedding is certainly a happy occasion, let’s not forget that in plenty of states, couples still can’t get married. Or they could only get married for a brief period. That’s the case right now in Michigan: there was a brief window between court rulings during which about 300 couples wed, and now the state is trying to undo those licenses. But those couples aren’t taking that lying down, and have filed suit to force Michigan to recognize their relationships.
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Utah and Oklahoma are zooming towards a resolution on their marriage lawsuits. Judges overturned bans in both states recently, but marriages still can’t start pending appeal. The Tenth Circuit heard oral argument last week, and we should get a ruling on those appeals at some point this summer. And there’s a ruling due by the end of this month in Arkansas.
There’s also going to be some exciting news in Oregon this week, with a judge scheduled to hear oral argument in yet another marriage case. That case is particularly important, since organizers in Oregon are considering a ballot measure to overturn a marriage ban. But if they get a favorable ruling in the case, they might not need to go to the ballot this November after all.
Icebloo
Right wingers are just stupid, selfish children. When something doesn’t affect them they are against it but as soon as it does affect them they change sides. SELFISH, SELFISH, SELFISH.
Right wingers are scum.
Billy Budd
He only cares about money. He has no moral values.
jwrappaport
This is why lawyers have a bad reputation: integrity is dead and for sale to the highest bidder for far too many of them. I have nothing but contempt for mercenaries like this who make a handsome living demonizing us and the people we love. They know full well what they’re doing and whom they’re hurting, and they don’t give a damn as long as they get rich doing it and get to argue in fancier courtrooms. In the words of a fallen heroine:
Curse this man. Send him bitterness and despair for all of his life. Let him taste nothing but ashes and iron.
Our lives would be absolute hell if people like this hadn’t been fought tooth and nail by past generations of courageous and selfless people. But for the grace of those people go I.
Mezaien
Another mother F.U.C.K.E.R Christian. You can change your name but not your label.
yousir75
@jwrappaport: Of course, there are lawyers like the ones you described. There are also doctors who will pimp certain prescription meds because the pharmaceutical companies pay them to. In every profession there are members who will be sell outs.
I’ve met many lawyers. They’re like any group – there are ones that are good at their job, bad at their job, super intelligent ones, and ones that are so ignorant you have to scratch your head & wonder how they ever passed a bar exam. Of the last group, I find that, to a tee, they’re quite religious.