Miss. clerks barred from using religion to avoid issuing same-sex marriage licenses

[trotsky]

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/06/miss-clerks-barred-from-using-religion-to-avoid-issuing-same-sex-marriage-licenses/

A federal judge on Monday ruled that clerks in Mississippi may not recuse themselves from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples based on religious beliefs, despite a bill passed by the state legislature intended to carve out that exception for them.

U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves said that the recusals on religious grounds granted by the state’s so-called “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act”, or House Bill 1523, violated the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2015 ruling legalizing gay marriage.

The Supreme Court’s decision is commonly referred to as the “Obergefell” case after lead plaintiff James Obergefell.

“Mississippi’s elected officials may disagree with Obergefell, of course, and may express that disagreement as they see fit – by advocating for a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision, for example,” Reeves wrote in his 16-page ruling, which came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Campaign for Southern Equality.

[skepticscott]

1. But of course, when they say their bigotry is justified

and should be legal because of their religious beliefs, it actually has nothing to do with religion, right?? It's all political..or about selfishness...or some bullshit that homophobic apologists pull out of their ass.

[Major Nikon]

5. We'll find out soon enough

If it's really about religion, we can expect a mass exodus of court clerks who are quitting rather than compromise their faith.

If they don't, then we'll know it was really about trying to force their dogma on others.

[Iggo]

2. These people bending over backwards to find ways to not do their jobs.

When the easiest way to not do your job is to fucking quit.

[mr blur]

3. Well, there's a vote for common sense.

Not to mention falling in line with the law of the land.

[RussBLib]

4. the courts are really thumping the fundies this week

thank goodness Scalia is history. He was the veritable boil on the butt of humanity.