Opposing equality can be expensive, very expensive, and the taxpayers of Ohio are now going to have to foot the bill.Â
Most folks following the history of same-sex marriage in America know that on June 26 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. The Obergefell case from Ohio was actually four cases rolled into one, but it was also the lead case and the lead plaintiff, Jim Obergefell, got a nice call from President Obama minutes after the ruling was handed down.
Today, the bill came due for the State of Ohio’s decision to battle same-sex marriage all the way to the Supreme Court.
Originally, attorneys defending same-sex marriage for Jim Obergefell asked the judge to award them $1.72 million in fees.
Today, all parties agreed to a reduced amount: $1.5 million.Â
The State of Ohio must have known they had little chance of winning, so why did they pursue it?
Ohio’s Republican Governor John Kasich, who is now running for president, was the original defendant in the case, but for several reasons that was changed. But Kasich, despite his warm and well-received response to questions about same-sex marriage at the GOP debate in August, has been anything but a support of equality, as this brief from HRC documents.
While the decision to fight same-sex marriage to the highest court rests with the State’s Attorney, it’s likely Kasich had input, at the very least.
And the bill has come due today.
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EARLIER:
The Supreme Court Case That Just Turned ‘Same-Sex Marriage’ Into ‘Marriage’ Will Become A Movie
Obama Attacks Anti-Gay GOP Presidential Candidates ‘Supporting Discrimination’ At DNC Fundaiser
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Image via Flickr