Posted on 06/12/2015 7:23:09 AM PDT by xzins
A measure allowing some court officials to refuse to perform gay marriage responsibilities because of their religious beliefs became law in North Carolina on Thursday, with the state House voting to override the governor's veto of the bill.
The Senate had voted to do the same with Republican Gov. Pat McCrory's veto a week ago. Thursday's House vote of 69-41 was just over the three-fifths majority needed. Ten House members were absent and didn't vote.
The law, taking effect immediately, means some register of deeds workers who assemble licenses and magistrates to solemnize civil marriages can decide to stop performing all marriages if they hold a "sincerely held religious objection."
The law "protects sincerely held religious beliefs while also ensuring that magistrates are available in all jurisdictions to perform lawful marriages," House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said in a statement.
Gay rights groups and Democrats who opposed the bill said after the vote that litigation challenging the law was likely to come soon. Republicans supporting the measure said federal laws provided religious accommodations to government officials, in keeping with the U.S. and state constitutions.
Before North Carolina, only Utah had passed such a similar exemption for court officials, earlier this year.
McCrory's decision put him at odds with social conservatives aligned with Republicans. Concerned Women for America accused McCrory of betraying state residents and forcing court officials to violate their consciences.
"It's hard to believe that any governor - much less a conservative one - would veto a bill protecting the religious freedoms of his constituents," North Carolina Values Coalition Executive Director Tami Fitzgerald said.
Three Democrats joined all but three Republicans present in voting for the override.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc11.com ...
This vote by the North Carolina house and senate to override their governor's veto of a bill that would help religious people protect their religious freedom is a reminder to the Supreme Court that the grassroots of America wants religious freedom protected. They don't want sincere religious people subjected to witch hunts and persecution by zealous advocates of unnatural marriage.
It’s amazing that these people think that accommodating sincerely held religious beliefs is a violation of freedom. Haven’t they read the 1st amendment?
This vote by the North Carolina house and senate to override their governor’s veto of a bill that would help religious people protect their religious freedom is a reminder to the Supreme Court that the grassroots of America wants religious freedom protected. They don’t want sincere religious people subjected to witch hunts and persecution by zealous advocates of unnatural marriage.
See what happens when a Muslim judge or JP refuses to marry two sodomites - THEN see what the Leftist reaction is.
Because AS WE ALL KNOW, only Christians are intolerant of sodomites and their demands...
This is just the beginning. Governor Abbott signed yesterday in Texas a law protecting religious liberty of clergy etc. pending outcome of USSC decision. Federal dictates may soon be challenged less by court recourse than street action and massive civil disobedience on the part of traditional Americans. Let’s hope so anyway; the left has been getting away with it for years.
What is ‘amazing’ or more accurately ‘revealing’ is that GIVEN LITIGATION IS SO VERY EXPENSIVE, that homosexuals have a bottomless pit of funds to engage in endless litigation. That fact is very telling.
I would not be surprised if a trace on the money flow somewhere in Obama’s network of social justice group contractors found to exist a large donor list from such taxpayer financed advocacy groups to pro-homo paid legal groups.
North Carolina voted against same sex marriage and the governor saw fit to side with a judge rather than the people.
Way to go, North Carolina!
They have bottomless money, and this is an excerpted article from an ABC affiliate. I included the little bit of freedom information they had in it. The rest of the article was wall to wall homosexual propaganda. IOW, the homosexualists own the media for the most part.
Gov. Pat McCrory is a tool of the GOPe
Same sex marriage will be every bit as divisive as abortion.
It’s getting to the point that we have to pass laws to counteract the laws that counteract the Constitution, because we can’t count on the Supreme Courts of the states or the nation to do their proper (and limited) job of upholding the Constitution. Instead, they make new laws, in violation of the separation of powers.
I’m not sure I want government officials deciding what laws they will obey.
We're talking about the accommodation of long-standing, provable religious beliefs that conflict with job requirements that are easily accommodated.
How to accommodate a magistrate not performing a homosexual wedding? You have a list of those who will and those who won't. When the issue comes up, you call one of those who will.
It's not rocket science.
As an army chaplain, we had a large number of allowable accommodations for religion that could be made for those from different religious groups. For example, what does it really hurt for a conservative Jew to wear a yarmulke? What does it really hurt for us to have kosher MREs?
I would want a magistrate to fulfill the laws as they are written. He’s not sending people to labor camps. It’s a non-religious ceremony.
I don’t want a Muslim magistrate to refuse to charge someone who is Muslim because it violates his religion.
What is the easy accommodation for the Muslim?
Tell him to do his job.
That is not a possible accommodation. An accommodation is a simple adjustment that makes it possible to accomplish both the protection of religious rights and the fulfillment of a job requirement.
You don’t seem to believe in religious accommodations, so I really don’t want to waste your time.
I work for the state and we don’t allow religious accommodations for Christians.
You should
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