Posted on 09/04/2015 11:23:16 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina legislators enacted a law in June giving magistrates and staffers in county register of deeds offices a way to avoid participating in same-sex weddings if they have religious objections to gay marriage.
But officials said Thursday that the law is different from what's on the books in Kentucky, where a clerk who defied court orders to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples has been jailed, and they don't foresee a similar standoff occurring in North Carolina.
U.S. District Judge David Bunning said he had no choice but to jail Rowan County (Ky.) Clerk Kim Davis for contempt after she insisted that her "conscience will not allow" her to follow federal court rulings on gay marriage.
North Carolina's law doesn't cover elected officials, only magistrates appointed by county court clerks and assistants to the elected register of deeds in each county. It also requires that someone must be made available to issue a marriage license or preside over a wedding if someone steps aside for religious reasons, so no one would be denied service, as has been the case in Kentucky.
"We provided an opportunity for folks who have strongly held religious views with objections to opt out, but we also provided a backstop," said Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, who sponsored the legislation. "It’s keeping folks from having to choose between their job and their religious beliefs. I think that’s important."
Still, Sarah Preston, acting executive director of the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the laws in North Carolina and Kentucky both amount to "government officials refusing to do part of their job."
(Excerpt) Read more at wral.com ...
According to the article, 5% of of the 670 magistrates statewide have recused themselves from marriage duties because of their religious beliefs, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Meanwhile, millions of illegals are able to ignore immigration law and a good portion of the Federal government turns a blind eye.
FU government
The judge did have a choice in punishing the clerk. He could have fined her for contempt instead of jailing her.
They should want a standoff. The SCOTUS ruling was absolutely lawless just like the Obamacare rulings, just like Kelo, just like Roe V wade. The SCOTUS is the single largest threat to the Republic. What good is saving a country from ISIS and Muslims if we are going continue just submitting to liberal abuse of power?
The judge should be imprisoned. If I were governor I’d round up any federal judge that did something like this.
If the legislature of Kentucky had any balls, it could pass an Opt-Out law similar to North Carolina.
There’s only one problem -— Their Senate is controlled by REPUBLICANS but their House is controlled by DEMOCRATS.
RE: The judge should be imprisoned. If I were governor I’d round up any federal judge that did something like this.
The Kentucky governor is a DEMOCRAT. Ain’t gonna happen anytime soon.
Absolutely. He had a choice and decided to make an example of her.
And the judge is that stupid Jim Bunning’s son!!!
That’s true and I’m not going to be governor though we are getting to the point where a person could get elected on rounding up feds and kicking them out of the state.
The whole issue has really revealed the GOP as did the planned parenthood videos more so than Democrats which are mostly committed to evil. We have not one state in the union totally rebuking the SCOTUS for its unlawful in your face rulings. Just as till recently we had deep red states blissfully funding Planned Parenthood till of course it could not be ignored when the videos hit.
Its so clear that its not just Democrats betraying us and selling out America.
I guess the Blaze identified who he is:
http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-04-at-1.21.23-PM.png
It’s obvious “laws” are only being enforced if they go with an agenda that seems right of the MSM playbook.
Which is an ominous trend.
$1.00
If the federal government is not going to uniformly enforce the law, then when it chooses to enforce any law, it has to make a choice and making the choice as to how much to enforce the law and which laws to not enforce is in itself an act of tyranny. Because as we see, guess what laws the left is willing to enforce by sending people quickly to jail and which ones does it turn a blind eye to for years.
#LoveWins -> #BakeTheCake -> #IssueTheLicense => #PinkSwastika -> #TyrannyOfUtopia -> #VoteProgressive
The KY Constitution doesn’t allow for same-sex marriages and it didn’t help. What makes NC think their law will help?
1) It is a RECENT LAW.
2) It is being availed of by 5% of officials
3) Sometimes we need a law to SPECIFICALLY SPELL OUT that you have this right.
Of course any determined gay activist can and probably will challenge this, but it’s still worth passing such a law.
Anybody know how long the former Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsome was jailed for breaking the law in Cali by issuing marriage licenses to homosexual couples?
RE: Anybody know how long the former Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsome was jailed for breaking the law in Cali by issuing marriage licenses to homosexual couples?
Jailed? On the contrary, Newsom gained national attention when he directed the San Francisco city–county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in violation of the then-current state law.
The only “punishment” if you can call it that, he got was to see his lawless act annulled by the California Supreme Court.
But for what he did, he was CELEBRATED by Hollywood big wigs and the mainstream press.
They’ll get a judge to throw it out. There’s only one way to get out of performing a same-sex marriage:
“I’m sorry but my Islamic faith does not allow me to marry homosexuals”.
One of Davis’ issues is that her name still appears on certificates for homosexual “weddings”. North Carolina’s law would presumably not change that particular situation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
