Gay Marriage & SCOTUS - On Like Donkey Kong

[Panacea]

Well, I guess we know how Scalia is going to vote. What a scumbag.

I didn't need to read that article to know that. It's disgusting; a guy who advocates for less government intrusion, will vote to ban gay marriage. Scalia is a hack. I'll be so glad when he retires; it'll be the greatest service he can ever do for this nation.

I'm glad you're not worried. For those of us who live in the ultra con states, there is no way in hell, short of every liberal in California relocating to a different red state each election, that marriage equality will become a reality without a supreme court ruling... and even then, states like Utah will secede from the Union, even if not peacefully, before accepting LGBT equality.

Smileyeagle: I live in an ultracon state, too. One that just passed an anti gay marriage amendment to the state constitution, even though it's already illegal by state law.

That happened, because the ultra cons sense the changing tides on the issue. They know the state law could and will be repealed. A constitutional amendment is harder to overturn.

North Carolina's new amendment (Amendment One) passed because of the rural counties, which remain very conservative. It failed in the large urban centers, where the more educated (and often liberal) citizens of the state live.

Liberals from the North are moving South to take advantage of the better climate and living conditions. They're bringing their attitudes of acceptance with them. Plus, local kids are getting turned off the rigid, intolerant brand of Christianity practiced here.

Gay marriage bans will go away. It may take another 10 years, but eventually they will go. I know that sucks for gays who want to marry now. I agree it should be your right. But it'll happen. It's inevitable, and the recent push for more bans is a signal that the homophobe crowd gets that.

What resources, exactly, does the House not have that it can't duplicate and which would be useful in this instance?

Money and people. They don't have the budget for legal costs that the Justice Department has; the horde of lawyers and staff to do the research to defend the law. Even the House can't just appropriate more money for that.

Oh, they'll make a stab at it. But the mere fact it is not the JD, but one faction of the House will not go unnoticed by the SCOTUS.

(The idea that states would secede over this one issue, though... why would it come to that?)

HYHBT, there are states in this country, Utah is one of them, where the majority of the population, and a supermajority of their legislature, honestly, deep down to the bottom of their soul, believe that allowing marriage equality will invite God's wrath. So it's not much of a stretch to say that they will risk the damage that attempting secession will cause, than risk God's wrath for tolerating homosexuality.

I don't think the Governor or the Legislature in Utah are stupid enough to try it, I don't care what the leaders of the LDS has to say about it. Utah knows they can't fight the feds; it's why they pushed for statehood rather than try to remain independent. Secession is a dead issue; the Civil War proved it won't work.

Now some of the real nuts may make noise along those lines. It won't be effective.

[DGoddess]

This is my biggest fear. I'm also afraid that they'll say DOMA is a 10th Amendment violation, and then it will go straight back to the states, where over 30 of them have "Marriage Amendments" banning same-sex marriage.

Which I'm sure is being closely watched by civil rights groups here in North Carolina, as our voters passed an amendment to our state constitution that defines marriage as "between man and woman only" back in May of this year.

I hope it does get overturned by the SCOTUS. By not doing so, you're denying a segment of our population guaranteed rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (guaranteed in the Bill of Rights) as well as promoting discrimination.

[Andara Bledin]

As I've said elsewhere, this is, ultimately, a civil rights issue, and when somebody near the top finally buckles down on that fact, it'll cease to be a question.

^-.-^