Tea Party Republican Governor Mike Pence has just released a memo instructing state agencies to treat all legal civil same-sex marriages as if they never happened.
Potential GOP presidential candidate Mike Pence was faced with a major dilemma, given the current state of acceptance of same-sex marriage in the country — and in the state of Indiana. But Pence dug deep into his religious roots and today had his legal counsel issue instructions to all state agencies: act as if none of the hundreds of same-sex couples have been legally married in the Hoosier State since June 25.
First gay couple to arrive and apply for marriage license in Marion County. @FOX59 pic.twitter.com/iliVcXwT52
— Zach Myers (@ZachMyersFox59) June 25, 2014
“To ensure that the state respects the rule of law, executive branch agencies are instructed to comply with the 7th Circuit Order issued on June 27, 2014, which stays the U.S. District Court Order issued on June 25, 2014,” the memo, from Mark G. Ahearn, General Counsel to Governor Mike Pence reads. It continues, directing executive branch agencies “to execute their functions” as though the U.S. District Court Order of June 25, finding Indiana’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, “had not been issued.”
That is General Counsel Mark G. Ahearn’s idea of “the rule of law.”
Hoosiers Unite For Marriage immediately released a statement, saying Gov. Pence “just doesn’t get it,” adding “for now, legally married same-sex couples in Indiana will still be denied the critical protections and respect that only marriage can provide.”
The federal government will recognize these legal same-sex marriages, even if Mike Pence will not.
Before today’s announcement, MSNBC on Monday noted that the “political peril” for Pence’s future “is clear.”
If Pence chooses to recognize same-sex marriages, he risks alienating the socially conservative Republican base and hurting his chances in the 2016 presidential primary, should he run. But an image as a culture warrior could cause big problems for Pence down the road, and distract from his persona as a small-government champion and disciplined campaigner.
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Image by Mark Taylor via Flickr
Hat tip: WANE/AP
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