North Carolina Bill Declaring All Same-Sex Marriages ‘Null and Void’ Will Not Move Forward, Says Speaker

Chief Sponsor is a Christian Minister

A bill citing the Christian Bible as its authority nullifying all marriages between same-sex couples in North Carolina will not advance past the House Rules Committee, Speaker Tim Moore said Wednesday.

Citing “strong constitutional concerns” with the legislation and noting “that the U.S. Supreme Court has firmly ruled on the issue,” Speaker Moore said the bill “will be referred to the House Rules Committee and will not be heard.”

The legislation is unconstitutional. Were it to actually become law, it could cost taxpayers possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars in court costs and fees, if not more, to defend against lawsuits that would be immediate, not to mention the hundreds of millions from guaranteed boycotts.

In 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court rules same-sex couples have the constitutional right to marry.

Sponsored by three North Carolina House Republican lawmakers, Rep. Larry Pittman, Rep. Michael Speciale, and Rep. Carl Ford, the “Uphold Historical Marriage Act,” known as HB780, falsely claims, “the ruling of the United States Supreme Court not only exceeds the authority of the Court relative to the State of North Carolina and a vote of the People of the State on an issue pertaining solely to the State of North Carolina and the People of North Carolina but also exceeds the authority of the Court relative to the decree of Almighty God.”

Rep. Pittman is a a Christian minister, according to WRAL. NCRM spoke with Rep. Ford’s office Tuesday. They would not comment on the bill.

HB780 quotes the Book of Genesis 2:24, and “declares that the Obergefell v. Hodges decision of the United States Supreme Court of 2015 is null and void in the State of North Carolina.” It also decrees that marriages of same-sex couples performed outside the Tar Heel State are invalid in North Carolina.

The Charlotte Observer Wednesday reported the nation is “once again mocking” North Carolina over the “new attempt to ban same-sex marriage.”

Speaker Moore did not say what action, if any, he would be taking against the three sponsors of the legislation. A call to his office was not immediately returned.

Governor Roy Cooper on Tuesday announced his opposition to the legislation.

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