June 27, 2013

President Obama: Marriage benefits should cross state lines

President Barack Obama says the Supreme Court's rulings on gay marriage were a victory not just for gays and lesbians, but for American democracy.

He says as president, he believes federal benefits should be granted to couples married in a state that recognizes gay marriage even if they move to a state that doesn't.

Obama says he asked his lawyers to start evaluating how to update federal statutes to grant gay couples federal benefits even before the high court ruled.

Obama spoke in Dakar, Senegal, at a joint news conference with Senegal's President Macky Sall. Obama said different customs and religious beliefs must be respected in different countries, but states and laws should treat everyone equally.

http://www.cbs8.com/story/22700894/obama-marriage-benefits-should-cross-state-lines%20%20target=


President Obama: 'It's my personal belief -- and I'm speaking now as a president not as a lawyer -- if you're married in Massachusetts and you move someplace else, you're still married'
http://www.breakingnews.com/


Obama Praises Supreme Court's Rulings On Gay Marriage, Says Benefits Should Cross State Lines
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/obama-same-sex-marriage_n_3508918.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

June 27, 2013

Sen.Wendy Davis: What happened yesterday was a victory for the people of Texas – but our

What happened yesterday was a victory for the people of Texas – but our fight isn't over yet

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152960054375094&set=a.10150109560935094.391314.10150100007820094

I am humbled and honored by the thousands and thousands of messages of support I have received from Texans and our friends around the nation. What happened yesterday was a victory for the people of Texas – but our fight isn't over yet. Less than 24 hours after our filibuster, Governor Perry has once again chosen the low road of partisanship over the common good by calling a second special session. I have no doubt that our state's failed leadership will do everything they can to thwart the will of the majority of Texans and pass this harmful bill that we have worked so hard to defeat. But the voices of Texas inspired me last night, and I stand ready for another fight. I hope you will continue to stand with me.

June 26, 2013

26 Senators Send A Letter Thanking Texas Sen. Wendy Davis

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/26-senators-send-letter-thanking-texas-sen-wendy

(snip)
Dear Senator Davis:


Thank you for your courage and determination in defeating S.B. 5, a bill that would have severely limited women’s reproductive choices in Texas. Your steadfastness sets an example that one person’s voice and commitment can make a difference. As Senators, we were awestruck as we watched you stand on the Senate floor of the Texas Legislature for hours in the face of ideologically based attempts to pass legislation that would threaten women’s health. Thanks to your dedication, Texas and the rest of the country will rethink efforts to enact similar laws. We are proud to call you an ally and a friend.


With appreciation and admiration,

The 26 senators who signed the letter are:

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Mark Udall (D-Col.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D-Col.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Al Franken (D-Minn.)

June 26, 2013

Kamala Harris calls for same-sex marriages to resume 'immediately'

California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris urged the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday to lift its stay and allow same-sex marriages to resume immediately.

(snip)
Harris called for the lower court to act sooner, urging them "in the strongest terms" to act before the 25 days pass "so that marriages can begin in California immediately."

"As soon as they lift that stay, marriages are on," she said. "The wedding bells will ring."

(snip)
"Today is a day that reaffirms our commitment as a country to giving every person equal protection and due process under the law," she said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-prop-8-doma-decision-pictures,0,320098.photogallery

June 26, 2013

CA Gov. Orders Counties To Issue Marriage Licenses As Soon As Prop 8 Stay Lifts

Source: TPM

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) Wednesday instructed the state Department of Public Health to notify county clerks to recognize same-sex couples once the injunction on those marriages is lifted by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The order comes directly in the wake of the Supreme Court's dismissal of the Prop 8 appeal.

"The effect of the district court's injunction is that same-sex couples will once again be allowed to marry in California," the notice said. "But they will not be able to marry until the Ninth Circuit issues a further order dissolving a stay of the injunction that has been in place throughout the appeal process."

It could be a month or more before that injunction is lifted and clerks are allowed to issue marriage licenses, according to the notice.

Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/ca-gov-orders-counties-to-issue-marriage-licenses

---

Jerry Brown
https://twitter.com/JerryBrownGov
I've directed @CAPublicHealth to advise counties to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples as soon as 9th Circuit stay is lifted #Prop8


Jerry Brown: Counties must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-prop-8-proposition-8-jerry-brown-supreme-court-doma-20130626,0,4183856.story

June 26, 2013

President Obama Calls To Congratulate Proposition 8 Plaintiffs On Live TV

&feature=player_embedded

"We're proud of you guys, and we're proud to have this in California," he said on a call that aired live on MSNBC. "And it's because of your leadership things are heading the right way. So you should be very proud today."

"Through your courage, you're helping out a whole lot of people everywhere," he added.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/



President Obama called Proposition 8 plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandy Stier moments after the Supreme Court dismissed the case and paved the way form same-sex couples to marry in the state of California. The moment was captured live by MSNBC:
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/06/26/2219201/president-obama-calls-to-congratulate-proposition-8-plaintiffs-on-live-tv/

The White House confirmed that Obama placed the call as he flew to Africa aboard Air Force One.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130626/us-gay-marriage-obama/?utm_hp_ref=homepage&ir=homepage

June 26, 2013

These Five Justices Just Made America More Equal

The Supreme Court just handed down a 5-4 decision striking the unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act. According to Justice Anthony Kennedy’s opinion for the Court, “[t]he federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity. By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment.”

Shortly thereafter, the Court also handed down a 5-4 decision holding that supporters of California’s anti-gay Proposition 8 did not have legal standing to appeal District Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision striking the marriage ban. The likely impact of this decision is that Walker’s injunction against Prop 8 will allow California to perform same-sex marriages once again — or at least that California’s top elected officials will be able to read Walker’s opinion this way — although there is some uncertainty whether Walker actually has the power to enjoin an entire state. For this reason, the status of Prop 8 is, for the moment, unclear.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/06/26/2218321/doma-is-unconstitutional/

June 25, 2013

AL Gore:"terrific and historic speech, by far the best address on climate by any president ever"

This was a terrific and historic speech, by far the best address on climate by any president ever.

I applaud the new measures announced by President Barack Obama this afternoon to help solve the climate crisis – particularly the decision to limit global warming pollution from existing as well as new power plants.

Following the important pledges he made in both his inaugural address and State of the Union speech earlier this year, and the historic gains in renewable energy and fuel efficiency that the President delivered in his first term, the policy changes he announced today represent important steps forward in the battle to halt catastrophic climate disruption. Most importantly, President Obama has directed the Environmental Protection Agency to establish regulations on the amount of global warming pollution existing fossil fuel plants can pour into our atmosphere.

This action – if followed by skillful and thorough execution of the plan – has the potential to fundamentally alter the course of our nation’s energy infrastructure development and help to promote a sustainable future. On the international front, this action will bolster U.S. credibility and moral authority in negotiations with other countries.

After the country’s hottest year on record, the record melting of the arctic ice cap and disruption of the Northern Hemisphere jet stream and storm track, a crippling drought and hundreds of billions of dollars worth of damage from climate-related extreme weather events over just the past two years, we are already paying the price of carbon pollution. It is clear that bold and comprehensive action is needed now.

President Obama’s proposals are in keeping with the current political reality; inaction and denial have consumed Congress. But the climate crisis requires a new political reality: one marked by a willingness to accept solutions commensurate with the challenge.

I hope the president will make this challenge a centerpiece of his leadership in his remaining three and a half years in office. The hard truth is that the maximum that now seems politically feasible still falls short of the minimum necessary to actually solve the climate crisis. Continued and constant use of the bully pulpit, determined follow-through on the steps announced today, and additional steps in the months ahead can change the political reality and build a bipartisan consensus for the broader changes that are needed urgently.

As President Obama said today, history will judge the present generation by our success or failure in meeting and surmounting this existential challenge.

So I urge the nation to follow President Obama’s lead and take the positive steps he announced today, but to keep fighting. We’ve got a lot more work to do.


http://blog.algore.com/2013/06/statement_on_president_obamas_1.html

June 25, 2013

Senator Leahy says he will move quickly on voting rights bill

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy on Tuesday pledged quick action on restoring voting rights protections after the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the landmark law.

"I intend to take immediate action to ensure that we will have a strong and reconstituted Voting Rights Act that protects against racial discrimination in voting," Leahy said.

The Vermont Democrat said the Supreme Court had "struck down the core of the most successful piece of civil rights legislation in this nation's history." But it was not yet clear what specific legislation Leahy might try to advance or whether he would win the support of Republicans.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/25/us-usa-court-voting-congress-idUSBRE95O0X920130625


Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Supreme Court Decision Shelby County v. Holder

(snip)
http://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-chairman-senate-judiciary-committee-on-supreme-court-decision-shelby-county-v-holder



Schumer on the decision
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/schumer-scotus-ruling-is-back-door-way-to

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) issued a strongly worded statement in reaction to the Supreme Court's Tuesday decision striking down a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, decrying the ruling as a "back door way to gut the Voting Rights Act."

"As long as Republicans have a majority in the House and Democrats don't have 60 votes in the Senate, there will be no preclearance," he said in the statement. "It is confounding that after decades of progress on voting rights, which have become part of the American fabric, the Supreme Court would tear it asunder.”

June 25, 2013

After SCOTUS Decision, President Obama Vows ‘To End Voting Discrimination’

President Barack Obama said Tuesday that while he's "deeply disappointed" with the Supreme Court's decision to gut the historic Voting Rights Act, but vowed that the ruling will not "represent the end of our efforts to end voting discrimination."

"I am deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision today. For nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act – enacted and repeatedly renewed by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress – has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans," Obama said in a statement. "Today’s decision invalidating one of its core provisions upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent."

With Chief Justice John Roberts writing for the majority, the court struck down a centerpiece of the landmark 1965 law applied to determine which states and localities — all with a history of racial discrimination — must first clear any changes to their voting laws with the Justice Department or a federal court.

"As a nation, we’ve made a great deal of progress towards guaranteeing every American the right to vote. But, as the Supreme Court recognized, voting discrimination still exists," Obama continued in the statement. "And while today’s decision is a setback, it doesn’t represent the end of our efforts to end voting discrimination. I am calling on Congress to pass legislation to ensure every American has equal access to the polls. My Administration will continue to do everything in its power to ensure a fair and equal voting process."


http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obama-scotus-ruling-wont-end-efforts-to-end



Statement by the President on the Supreme Court Ruling on Shelby County v. Holder
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/06/25/statement-president-supreme-court-ruling-shelby-county-v-holder

I am deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision today. For nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act – enacted and repeatedly renewed by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress – has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans. Today’s decision invalidating one of its core provisions upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent.

As a nation, we’ve made a great deal of progress towards guaranteeing every American the right to vote. But, as the Supreme Court recognized, voting discrimination still exists. And while today’s decision is a setback, it doesn’t represent the end of our efforts to end voting discrimination. I am calling on Congress to pass legislation to ensure every American has equal access to the polls. My Administration will continue to do everything in its power to ensure a fair and equal voting process.