Free Republic

Listen to an audio version of this column Just in time for Thanksgiving, two more lawless federal judges, young ones who are Obama appointees, struck down state marriage protection laws in Mississippi and Arkansas. These are the latest examples of outrageous rulings by federal judges who have no jurisdiction in this area. The Constitution outlines the areas of very limited authority of the federal government and judiciary, and marriage is not an area in which they possess the rightful power to rule over the states. Therefore, this is a states' rights issue. Twisting the 14th Amendment to apply to degenerate...

Former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Friday criticized President Barack Obama over his policy in the Middle East and his attitude towards Israel. Romney, who spoke at the inaugural Israeli American Council National Conference in Washington, accused Obama of being “naive” and of “distancing ourselves from allies”. Commenting on reports that Obama had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggesting cooperation against the Islamic State (ISIS), Romney was quoted by The Washington Times as having said, “I was frankly stunned that the President of the United States would write a letter of that nature, in effect...

Yesterday, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals struck a reverberating blow on behalf of natural marriage and the Constitution by upholding bans on sodomy-based marriages in its jurisdiction.It is impossible to overestimate the importance of this ruling.It means, for one thing, that the issue is now on the fast track to the Supreme Court. If the Court accepts a marriage case by January, a decision will almost certainly be issued by next June.From a constitutional standpoint, the 6th Circuit’s ruling is a model of sound jurisprudence. The ruling observes that the Supreme Court has already settled the question of the...

By a two-to-one vote, a federal appeals court in Cincinnati upheld the right of states to ban same-sex marriage, overturning lower court decisions in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee that found such restrictions to be unconstitutional.

As same-sex marriage became legal in Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming recently, the federal government now recognizes gay married couples in 33 states, including the District of Columbia, according to Attorney General Eric Holder. "With each new state where same-sex marriages are legally recognized, our nation moves closer to achieving full equality for all Americans," The Associated Press quoted Holder as saying. Holder's announcement means married same-sex couples in 33 states will qualify for federal benefits, including Social Security and veterans' benefits. "We are acting as quickly as possible with agencies throughout the government to ensure...

<p>Mitt Romney has a reputation for being somewhat robotic, but in his recent appearances on the campaign trail he seems to have added humor to his arsenal. According to a National Journal report, Romney launched a zinger at President Barack Obama while campaigning for GOP Iowa Senate candidate Joni Ernst on Sunday.</p>

Friday on PBS's "News Hour," syndicated columnist Mark Shields pointed out, "among young Republicans, 61 percent of Republicans -- young Republicans under the age of 30 are in favor of same sex marriage." New York Times columnist David Brooks "applauded," the GOP for "doing absolutely the right thing in withdrawing" and letting the country have its way. Brooks said "I sort of applaud the minimalism here. Sometimes you let the country have its way and you don't try to determine the shape of the country, you sort of modestly step back and let the country figure out what it believes....

If you care that consenting adults can get married, regardless of their genders or colors or sexual proclivities, you're not really a conservative. You use the term to describe yourself because you think some people will favor it, like when people on dating sites call themselves "adventurous." Real adventurers meet new lovers at zip-lining conventions, or even prayer marathons, not online in chat rooms. And real conservatives don't care what consenting adults do with their money or lungs or genitals if it does not intrude on the liberty of others. But worse than the "conservatives" who think your freedom ends...

The radical redefinition of marriage - "gay marriage," so called - is only a single weapon in the homofascist arsenal stockpiled against Western civilization. Many have bought, are buying, the insideous lie that this is just a static change that will affect no one other than the parties involved. Nothing can be further from the truth. Abundant evidence and simple reasoning tells us so. It will not stop with marriage redefinition, the goal is the entire revamping of society, Christianity not excepted. We were constantly lectured only a few years ago that this is a civil issue and that church's...

Tonight on Bill O'Reilly's show, Megyn Kelly was only stating her opinion. She was not espousing gay marriage. This gay marriage is against the will of the American people, against history, and against nature. Time and time again the people voted against it only to be overturned by learned judges who, through their own life experiences believe they know better than everyone else. How will this experiment work out? How will you get muslim, christin and jewish fundamentalists, to whom gay marriage is prohibited by their religion to acquiesce? Will the religious be forced to accept this abomination? Will free...

This MSNBC host appears better at exemplifying “convoluted” than defining it. MSNBC host Alex Wagner celebrated how the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit “struck down two more same-sex bans” in Idaho and Nevada during “NOW with Alex Wagner” on Oct. 7. During a panel, she addressed the “convoluted argument” of religious liberty by calling religious exceptions “carve-outs for bigotry.” To introduce the segment, Wagner gushed that the Court of Appeal’s move “comes on the heels of a landmark Supreme Court un-ruling on marriage equality,” and “is expected to bring the grand total of states allowing gay and lesbian...

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected gay marriage appeals from Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin, in essence allowing lower courts to legalize same-sex couples. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), an institution that has vigorously opposed gay marriage for some time now, conceded that the political battle over marriage is over. “As far as the civil law is concerned,” the Mormon Church admitted, “the courts have spoken.” Actually, nothing is over until God says it’s over. At least, this is my understanding of how religion operates. So while I don’t want to accuse Mormons of...

Look behind the incredible speed of same-sex marriage judicial victories, including Monday’s Supreme Court decision, and you’ll find federal employees. They are not high-profile politicians or appointed officials. You won’t find them on the Sunday morning talk shows or in the national headlines. But they have been in the vanguard of the marriage equality movement even as they toil in their everyday, low-key jobs. The first lawsuit against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, was filed in 2009 by a postal worker in Massachusetts.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says its doctrine on marriage will remain unchanged despite Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized gay marriage in five states, including Utah, and opened the door for legalization in six more. “As far as the civil law is concerned, the courts have spoken,” the church said in a statement reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision. “Church leaders will continue to encourage our people to be persons of good will toward all, rejecting persecution of any kind based on race, ethnicity, religious belief or nonbelief, and differences in sexual orientation.” In...

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday slammed the Supreme Court for declining to hear appeals on lower court rulings that overturn same-sex marriage bans, calling the justices’ move “tragic and indefensible.” “By refusing to rule if the States can define marriage, the Supreme Court is abdicating its duty to uphold the Constitution,” he said in a statement. “The fact that the Supreme Court Justices, without providing any explanation whatsoever, have permitted lower courts to strike down so many state marriage laws is astonishing.” On Monday, the Supreme Court decided not to hear challenges to lower court rulings on same-sex marriage...

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to reject requests from five States to review state laws that prohibit same-sex marriage. “The Supreme Court’s decision to let rulings by lower court judges stand that redefine marriage is both tragic and indefensible,” said Sen. Cruz. “By refusing to rule if the States can define marriage, the Supreme Court is abdicating its duty to uphold the Constitution. The fact that the Supreme Court Justices, without providing any explanation whatsoever, have permitted lower courts to strike down so many state marriage laws...

Brethren, Peace to you all in Jesus Christ, our Supreme, Merciful Judge. This is in the news at this time: WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has turned away appeals from five states seeking to prohibit same-sex marriages, paving the way for an immediate expansion of gay and lesbian unions. The justices on Monday did not comment in rejecting appeals from Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. The court's order immediately ends delays on marriage in those states. Couples in six other states should be able to get married in short order. That would make same-sex marriage legal in 30...

he Supreme Court has turned away appeals from five states seeking to prohibit same-sex marriages, paving the way for an immediate expansion of gay and lesbian unions. The justices on Monday did not comment in rejecting appeals from Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. The court's order immediately ends delays on marriage in those states. Couples in six other states should be able to get married in short order. That would make same-sex marriage legal in 30 states and the District of Columbia. But the justices have left unresolved for now the question of same-sex marriage nationwide.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up the hotly contested issue of gay marriage, a surprise move that will allow gay men and women to marry in five states where same-sex weddings were previously banned. By rejecting appeals in cases involving Virginia, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin and Indiana, the court left intact lower-court rulings that struck down bans in those states. Other states under the jurisdiction of appeals courts that struck down the bans will also be affected, meaning the number of states with gay marriage is likely to quickly jump from 19 to 30.

Scout’s honor: Not until today, having read the words of the man himself, have I sincerely believed he might run again. The RomneyWatch™ posts are fun to write but not because Mitt 2016 was a real thing — I thought. They were fun because it wasn’t a real thing. It was a way to collectively pretend-scare ourselves, like playing with a ouija board. Now, suddenly, I look down and the planchette is moving by itself. And it spells M-I-T-T. A recent column by the conservative pundit Byron York noted that Romney had kept in close contact with many of his...