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GOP Governors Refusing To Allow Same-Sex Marriage Despite Supreme Court Announcement

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Despite yesterday’s announcement from the Supreme Court and rulings at the appellate court level, Republican governors are refusing to follow the law on same-sex marriage.

When the Supreme Court declined to review any of seven same-sex marriage case from five states, rulings by the appellate courts became the final ruling and all stays the Supreme Court and the appellate courts had place on those rulings were lifted.

The immediate effect was that same-sex couples in Virginia, Utah, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma were allowed to marry, and they did. 

But the next effect is that all states in the same judicial circuit, or region, as those cases were in, must follow the ruling of that Circuit Court.

LOOK: The Same-Sex Marriage Map Just Changed Dramatically – Here’s What It Looks Like

Virginia, for example, is part of the 4th Circuit. West Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina make up the rest of that Circuit, so same-sex marriage should be, theoretically, legal in those states as well.

Utah is part of the 10th Circuit, so same-sex marriage should be, theoretically, legal in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas as well.

So, same-sex marriage should now be legal in 30 states — the previous 19 plus the five from yesterday’s announcement and the additional six states that are part of those Circuits. Technically, states can wait for federal judges or their state supreme courts to specifically declare their marriage bans unconstitutional, but since the judges have no choice but to make that declaration, any wait is both manipulative and political — not to mention cruel and punitive. Governors or attorneys general could easily decide to make marriage available to same-sex couples now, without delay, as Colorado’s Republican Attorney General did today based on an earlier court ruling, or they could petition their state supreme court to overturn the ban immediately, or the rule immediately on an existing case.

In other words, they could take action to pave the way for marriage, rather than promising to block it.

As The New Civil Rights Movement reported yesterday, state and local officials are applying the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage announcement differently.

And unfortunately, governors and attorneys general in some of the six states are outright refusing to follow what is now, whether they like it or not and whether they agree or not, the law.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, a supposed devout Roman Catholic who has turned Kansas into an unmitigated disaster and is in a very rough re-election campaign, yesterday announced he would not follow the law.

“I swore an oath to support the Constitution of the State of Kansas,” Brownback in a statement  “An overwhelming majority of Kansas voters amended the Constitution to include a definition of marriage as one man and one woman. Activist judges should not overrule the people of Kansas.” 

It’s unclear when the most conservative Supreme Court in recent history became “activists” on same-sex marriage (although on other issues, yes.)

Couples in Kansas have been denied their now legal right to marry.

In South Carolina, Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson is also refusing to follow the law. The AP reports Wilson “pointed out that a judge has not ruled on a lawsuit by a gay couple legally married in Washington, D.C., seeking to overturn the South Carolina gay marriage ban.”

The State reports Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, along with AG Wilson, “said Monday they would keeping on fighting in federal court a lawsuit filed in 2013 by a South Carolina same-sex couple.”

“Governor Haley,” a spokesperson said, “agrees with Attorney General Wilson – our voter-approved state law should be followed until a court rules on it directly.”

In other words, stalling until the inevitable arrives.

In Wyoming, Republican Gov. Matt Mead, who, ironically is an attorney, said that the “decision by the U.S. Supreme Court has no impact on the case before the Wyoming District Court.”

“The attorney general will continue to defend Wyoming’s Constitution defining marriage between a man and a woman,” Mead added.

Same-sex couples will have to wait there, too.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, as The New Civil Rights Movement reported last night, made clear she is vehemently opposed to allowing same-sex marriage. The divorced GOP governor actually railed against “unelected federal justices” and their “D.C. values.”

How long can these anti-gay Republicans stall?

Not much longer.

UPDATE: Breaking: Colorado Same-Sex Couples Begin Marrying – State Becomes First Of Six States

Editor’s note: This post has been updated for clarity.

 

Image: Sam Brownback, via Facebook
Hat tip: AmericaBlog

 

Related At The New Civil Rights Movement:

Long View: Why SCOTUS’ Same-Sex Marriage Decision Was Only Proper Option

What Did The National Organization For Marriage Say About The Supreme Court Announcement?

So, Ted Cruz Has Something To Say About The Supreme Court’s Marriage Announcement…

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

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April 19, 2024

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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.

 

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

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20 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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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

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

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23 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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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.

 

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