Breaking: Bobby Jindal Just Lost Last Legal Excuse For Upholding Same-Sex Marriage Ban-Will He Act?

Governor Bobby Jindal just ran out of excuses. If he doesn’t immediately order Louisiana government agencies to recognize marriages of same-sex couples, the federal government must act.

Bobby Jindal on Sunday promised to respect the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which found a constitutional right to marriage for same-sex couples. But then the Republican Louisiana governor decided to do the opposite, claiming he had to wait for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to weigh in. They did last night. He then said he had to wait for the District Court to weigh in.

It just did:

Bobby Jindal, who is running a presidential campaign on a platform of anti-gay religious bigotry, has just run out of options.

If he does not immediately direct all government agencies in Louisiana to recognize and treat equally the legal marriages of all same-sex couples, he will be in violation of the Supreme Court’s ruling, the 5th Circuit’s very strong ruling – which warned of the seriousness of the Obergefell decision – and the District Court’s ruling.

The clock is ticking.

UPDATE I: 1:10 PM EDT – 
Twitter responds:

 

UPDATE 7/2 3:00p.m. 

 Bobby Jindal Will Allow New Orleans To Begin Issuing Marriage Licenses

Nola.com reports that the Louisiana’s Department of Vital Records in downtown New Orleans will begin to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples this afternoon, after a court ordered the agency to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergfell, making marriage equality the law of the land. Olivia Hwang, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Hospitals released this statement earlier this afternoon: 

“Today the Eastern District Court of Louisiana ordered the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples who complete a marriage application at the Department’s Office of Vital Records in Orleans Parish.”

Gov. Jindal was ordered to start issuing licenses through the state’s vital records agency after a U.S. District Court ruling struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban Thursday morning.

This brings Louisiana into full compliance, with all its parishes issuing licenses to same-sex couples. However, Gov. Jindal still refuses to state that he will direct state agencies to treat all married couples equally, or that the state will recognize same-sex marriages.

 

This is a continuing story and will be updated as developments warrant.  

 

 

Image via Bobby Jindal/Twitter