Texas attorney general says county clerks can refuse gay couples

[Jazzy]

County clerks in Texas who object to gay marriage can refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite last week's landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring states to allow same-sex marriage, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Sunday.

The nation's top court said on Friday that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to wed, handing a victory to the American gay rights movement.

Paxton said in a statement that hundreds of public officials in Texas were seeking guidance on how to implement what he called a lawless and flawed decision by an "activist" court.

The state's attorney general said that while the Supreme Court justices had "fabricated" a new constitutional right, they did not diminish, overrule, or call into question the First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion.

"County clerks and their employees retain religious freedoms that may allow accommodation of their religious objections to issuing same-sex marriage licenses," Paxton wrote, adding that the strength of any such claim would depend on the facts of each case.

"Justices of the peace and judges similarly retain religious freedoms and may claim that the government cannot force them to conduct same-sex wedding ceremonies over their religious objections," Paxton wrote.

He noted that officials who refuse to issue marriage licenses to gay couples could expect to be sued, but he said they would have ample legal support.

"Numerous lawyers stand ready to assist clerks defending their religious beliefs, in many cases on a pro-bono basis, and I will do everything I can from this office to be a public voice for those standing in defense of their rights," Paxton wrote.

Source

Thoughts?

 

[Webster]

Someone should tell AG Paxton and those clerks 2 things: (1)we won, you lost...get over it, and (2)either do your damn jobs or get the hell out of the way and let someone else do the job instead, religious and other concerns notwithstanding.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

Texas just needs to declare it's independence so other states can follow them and be independent from the insanity called America.

 

[Webster]

Texas just needs to declare it's independence so other states can follow them and be independent from the insanity called America.

Texas tried that when they seceded w/the rest of the South back in 1860-1861...remind me again how that went for them? Oh, yeah, that's right...they lost.

 

[DrLeftover]

Texas did that before the War Between the States, too.

They ceded from Mexico and were independent for awhile.

Oh, well.

 

[Webster]

Texas did that before the War Between the States, too.

They ceded from Mexico and were independent for awhile.

Oh, well.

Yeah, well, it ain't the 1830's, Doc...

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

Texas did that before the War Between the States, too.

They ceded from Mexico and were independent for awhile.

Oh, well.

Well past time for them to do it again and this time they have will have the moral authority to do it. Florida's got a pretty big independent movement I am part of. With America now the newest third world nation it is time to get this ball rolling.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

Yeah, well, it ain't the 1830's, Doc...

And it ain't 1860.

 

[Jazzy]

People have a right to their own beliefs, but what they don't have is a right to refuse service to someone as an expression of their personal beliefs when they choose to be in a position of public service. I'm sure there are some county clerks who will feel that issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples goes against their personal beliefs, but that doesn't mean licenses should be refused to them. It means the clerk needs to take a stand for their belief by quitting their job and doing something that fits their moral standards.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

People have a right to their own beliefs, but what they don't have is a right to refuse service to someone as an expression of their personal beliefs when they choose to be in a position of public service. I'm sure there are some county clerks who will feel that issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples goes against their personal beliefs, but that doesn't mean licenses should be refused to them. It means the clerk needs to take a stand for their belief by quitting their job and doing something that fits their moral standards.

When you have a supreme court openly admitting they are ruling on what they personally believe instead of ruling on the constitution by writing law which they are not allowed to do every person in America should refuse to comply. It is far past time for a peaceful resistince and this is a good start. Those judges need to be removed from there jobs.

The Supreme Court is now a political body. They don't base decisions on the law. They make up Rights and actually pass laws that Constitutionally they have no power to implement. I am both depressed and sadden by the inability of Americans to even understand what just happened.

 

[Jazzy]

And I am both depressed and sadden by the inability of some Americans to even accept what just happened.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

And I am both depressed and sadden by the inability of some Americans to even accept what just happened.

Yes words now mean nothing in our laws and they mean nothing in the Constitution. Don't like something just bypass those pesky little obstacles by breaking the law.