Connect with us

Breaking: Exclusive — 7 GOP Lawmakers Sue To Stop New Mexico Same-Sex Marriages

Published

on

A small group of seven New Mexico Republican state legislators have just filed a lawsuit to stop same-sex couples from being issued marriage licenses. Currently, six out of 33 New Mexico counties are issuing licenses to same-sex couples, while another, Los Alamos County, may soon be following. Most have been ordered by state judges to issue licenses regardless of gender.

Two weeks ago, one Doña Ana county clerk, Lynn Ellins, was the first to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples based on a Santa Fe City Council resolution and a recent statement by the state Attorney General. The Republican lawmakers have targeted Doña Ana county in their lawsuit, as the county clerk’s lone action is the most vulnerable. The small group of Republicans are hoping a ruling in their favor will be extended to the remainder of the state.

While the names of the lawmakers have been kept hidden from all news reports, The New Civil Rights Movement is reporting exclusively that the lawsuit was filed by only seven state lawmakers, all Republican: Senators William Sharer and Steven Neville, and Representatives David Gallegos, Jimmie Hall, Yvette Herrell, Dennis Roch, and James Strickler.

Senator Sharer has been threatening to file the lawsuit for two weeks now, and had claimed to have a coalition of 30 legislators ready to sign their names to the lawsuit. That it took two weeks and that he could only come up with six others is a strong indication that there is little support for his anti-gay escapades.

The New Mexico state legislature has a total of 112 seats between the House and the Senate. Of those 112 seats, there are 15 Republicans in the Senate, and 32 Republicans in the House. Sen. Sharer managed to get only seven out of 47, or just under 15 percent of his Republican colleagues to join his lawsuit.

Senator Sharer, for years has been trying, unsuccessfully, to amend the New Mexico state constitution to read:

“Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.”

Sharer’s most recent views were first reported exclusively by The New Civil Rights Movement on Friday, August 23, after a blog post he wrote earlier that same day accused gay men of “whoring.” Sharer posed as a reason to deny loving same-sex couples the right to marriage two gay Greeks from the annals of history: Aristotle and Alexander the Great.

LOOK: Why New Mexico Is On The Verge Of Becoming The Next Marriage Equality State

“Alexander may have engaged in homosexual activity, but he married a woman,” Sharer wrote on his campaign blog last Friday:

He directed his officers to stop “whoring” around and find a local woman to marry.

Aristotle fully believed that marriage, between Greeks, was fundamental for civilization – marriage between a Greek man and a Greek woman to make virtuous Greek babies.  It was only with virtuous Greek babies that Greek civilization could succeed.

Today’s lawsuit was filed on behalf of the seven lawmakers by Paul Becht, in Las Cruces, according to Barry Massey at the AP, in an article that does not mention that only seven lawmakers have signed onto the suit, nor does it mention their names.

Currently, hundreds of New Mexico same-sex couples have been married, and legal experts state their marriages, regardless of court rulings, are legal and cannot be nullified.

 

Image: Monica Leaming and Cecilia Taulbee, represented by the ACLU, receive their marriage license from the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office. Photo via Facebook

Related:

New Mexico Celebrates Marriage Equality With A Group Wedding

And Now There Are Five New Mexico Counties Issuing Marriage Licenses To Same-Sex Couples

Look! First Same-Sex Couple Gets Marriage License After Yesterday’s New Mexico Ruling 

Breaking: New Mexico Same-Sex Marriages To Begin Tuesday As Judge Lifts Unconstitutional Ban

Anti-Gay GOP Senator Citing Alexander The Great To File Lawsuit To Stop NM Same-Sex Marriages

New Mexico Judge Orders A Santa Fe Clerk To Begin Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

New Mexico County Clerk Now Issuing Marriage Licenses To Same-Sex Couples

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment
 
 

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.

NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.

Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.

News

Fox News Host Suggests Trump ‘Force’ Court to Throw Him in Jail – by Quoting Him

Published

14 hours ago

on

April 19, 2024

By

The Fox News host who targeted a juror serving on Donald Trump’s criminal New York trial is now suggesting the ex-president should violate his gag order and “force” the court to throw him in jail, by quoting the Fox News host.

Jesse Watters came under fire earlier this week for profiling juror number two, sharing possibly identifying information published by a myriad of reporters but then using that information to pass judgment on her ability to serve.

“I’m not so sure about juror number two,” Watters concluded on Fox News.

Jurors, at the judge’s direction, were to remain anonymous, for their protection and the protection of the trial.

The judge excused her, after she said she felt she was not able to be impartial because friends and family were calling her asking if she had been chosen to serve on the Trump trial, after the media blitz.

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan admonished the press for reporting the information, but some news outlets appeared to ignore his warning.

Watters on Wednesday “did a segment with a jury consultant, revealing details about people who had been seated on the jury and questioning whether some were ‘stealth liberals’ who would be out to convict Trump,” the Associated Press reported.

READ MORE: Gaetz: ‘Corrupt’ Republicans Could ‘Take a Bribe’ and Throw House to Dems, Blocking Trump Run

Trump later posted Watters’ quote on his Truth Social platform, leading some, including New York prosecutors, to ask the judge to cite him for allegedly breaking his gag order.

Judge Merchan ordered Trump to not mention witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, or the family members of prosecutors and court staff, CNN has reported.

New York prosecutors told Juge Merchan Trump has violated the gag order at least ten times.

“Prosecutor Christopher Conroy described the ‘most disturbing’ example as a social media message Trump posted on Wednesday evening quoting a Fox News host as saying, ‘They are catching undercover Liberal Activists lying to the Judge in order to get on the Trump Jury,'” Politico reports.

That host was Jesse Watters.

RELATED: ‘Afraid and Intimidated’: Trump Trial Juror Targeted by Fox News Dismissed

Friday afternoon, Watters appeared to egg Trump on, urging the ex-president to violate the gag order.

“I would make them put me in jail,” Watters said on Fox News. “I would have a tweet about something perhaps I said on ‘The Five’ or ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,’ and I would force them to throw me in jail.”

Watch Watters’ remark below or at this link.

 

Continue Reading

News

Gaetz: ‘Corrupt’ Republicans Could ‘Take a Bribe’ and Throw House to Dems, Blocking Trump Run

Published

16 hours ago

on

April 19, 2024

By

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) says some of his fellow House Republicans would “take a bribe” to throw the razor-thin GOP majority to the Democrats if a far-right faction calls up a motion to oust Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, allowing Democrats to hand the gavel to the Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. he warned if that happens, Democrats would immediately declare Trump ineligible to be President, pack the U.S. Supreme Court, and pass numerous laws like the American Rescue Plan.

“I do believe in a one seat majority there could be one or two or three of my colleagues who would take a bribe in one form or another in order to deprive the Republicans of a majority at all,” Gaetz said Friday on his podcast (video below.)

He added, “the risk that one or two of my corrupt Republican colleagues might take a bribe, take a walk, feign an ailment and flip this thing to the Democrats is a risk that is too high for me at this time.”

Gaetz’s fellow far-right Florida Republican member of Congress, Anna Paulina Luna, told listeners, “I heard that when, if and when the motion vacate is introduced, that there will be immediate resignations of a couple of more moderate members of Congress. And in the event that that happens, that ultimately means it does go to a Democrat speaker.”

RELATED: Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Ensure Ukraine Aid Passes as Johnson Defectors Grow

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) last month filed a “motion to vacate,” which she can use at any time to force a vote to oust the GOP Speaker, Mike Johnson. U.S. Rep. Tim Massie (R-KY) and just today, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) has signed on as co-sponsors.

Congressman Gaetz told listeners if Democrats do take the House through a force vote to remove Johnson, Democrats would “be declaring Donald Trump an insurrectionist and setting up a barrier to him being able to become the president United States.”

“That’ll be their leadoff hitter, and then the chaser to that shot will be a massive spending package that looks a lot more like the American Rescue Plan. They will blow past every concept of every cap ever imagined. You’ll be looking at Universal Basic Income, you could be looking at packing the Supreme Court.”

Watch a short clip of Gaetz’s remarks below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Stop Bringing Up Nazis and Hitler’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Smacked Down by Democrats

Continue Reading

News

Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Ensure Ukraine Aid Passes as Johnson Defectors Grow

Published

18 hours ago

on

April 19, 2024

By

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed Friday the majority of Democrats will support Republicans’ Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and Gaza foreign aid legislation as Republican Speaker Mike Johnson lost support of another member of his conference to a faction determined to oust him.

“Democrats will provide a majority of our majority as it relates to funding Israel, humanitarian assistance, Ukraine, and our allies in the Indo Pacific,” Minority Leader Jeffries said. “It remains to be seen what Republicans will do in terms of meeting the national security needs of the American people, but it was important for House Democrats to ensure that the national security bills are going to be considered.”

Despite Republicans having a one-vote majority, more Democrats on Friday voted to move the critical and long-awaited foreign aid bills forward than did Republicans.

READ MORE: ‘Stop Bringing Up Nazis and Hitler’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Smacked Down by Democrats

The 316-94 vote included 165 Democrats and 151 Republicans voting yes, and 55 Republicans and 39 Democrats voting no.

Axios’ Juliegrace Brufke posted the list of Republicans voting against their party’s legislation.

Calling it a “rare” moment in modern congressional history to have to rely on opposition party votes to pass legislation, BBC News reports Speaker Johnson’s “hold on power is tenuous, and the legislators who oppose him – and his bid to provide aid to Ukraine – occupy some key positions within the House’s power structure.”

Amid the procedural vote to move the foreign aid funding bills forward, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, a far-right Republican of Arizona, announced he is joining Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Congressman Tim Massie (R-KY) in formally announcing their will vote to oust Speaker Johnson.

Gosar, like Greene, is reportedly a Christian nationalist. In 2022 CNN reported his “lengthy ties to White nationalists, [a] pro-Nazi blogger and far-right fringe received little pushback for years.”

RELATED: ‘Repercussions’: Democrats and Republicans Stand Against ‘Pro-Putin’ House GOP Faction

“We’ve been very honest in our assessment of the situation from the beginning,” Jeffries on Friday also declared. “At the appropriate time as House Democrats, we will have a conversation about how to deal with any hypothetical motion to vacate.”

“Moscow Marjorie Taylor Greene, Massie, and Gosar are quite a group. But central to our conversation is to make sure that the national security legislation in totality is passed by the House of Representatives.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

 

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2020 AlterNet Media.