THE BIG ONE: Supreme Court agrees to hear same-sex marriage cases

The Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear appeals from the four states affected by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that upheld marriage bans. The states are Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee. The case will be heard in April, and I think it's safe to say we will not get a ruling until the final day of the court's session, at the end of June.

Well, this is it, guys. Either we're going to get marriage rights nationwide this year, or we're going to suffer a serious setback that would delay marriage rights in some states potentially for decades. Even worse, a ruling that upheld the states' rights to ban same-sex marriage would almost certainly lead several states that now grant marriage rights (Idaho, Kansas, Oklahoma and South Carolina come immediately to mind) to withdraw them, potentially putting hundreds of couples in legal limbo.

I think that past rulings, and the court's declining to take up appeals from state after state this fall, would tend to portend a favorable ruling. Justice Kennedy, who has written all the court's major gay rights decisions in the past, is likely the deciding vote again. However, there is also a body of thought that Chief Justice Roberts could go for the majority. Reasoning: This is likely to be the most important civil rights case of Roberts' tenure as chief justice, and he may not wish to be viewed as being on the wrong side of history.

It promises to be an eventful next few months and fingers crossed that after this ruling, legal discrimination against gays will become a thing of the past in the United States of America.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-supreme-court-agrees-gay … 14691.html
By BearinFW | 01/17/2015 12:58 AM | 2 comments
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  • Given what has been going on since September, I don't really think the Supremes will undo what has been done. But as long as there's a doubt, you never really know. At this point, if they ruled that states have the right to ban same-sex marriages if they want, it could create a chaotic situation, and it would likely set marriage rights back by a decade or more. It *is* going to happen eventually, but if we lost this case, it might well deny marriage rights for many of us for the rest of our lifetime. And as I've noted before, the most important thing about the marriage issue is that victory will remove any argument for legal discrimination against gay people. And that should matter to you even if you have no interest whatsoever in marrying.
    BearinFW 01/18/2015 04:05 AM
  • The five conservative "Justices" (oxymoron there) on this court had the raw nerve to rule in favor of corporations being "people" and money is their "free speech," and Hobby Lobby has the right to dictate birth control to their employees based on what church the owner goes to; I would NOT be surprised if they ruled that gays have NO right to marry.

    If they rule that gay marriage is a big no-no, then all hell could break loose. What then?? Are folks who were married under court-ordered equal rights NOW to lose those rights and they are no longer married? Will states that still do not allow gays to marry to be able to ignore the marriages of people from other states where it is legal? How is this EVER going to approach equal rights under the law for this nation. Will politicians EVER have the balls to do what many Federal Judges have done and vote for a law making it legal for perverts to marry and have all the other rights that go along with that legal status. The appeals process could take MANY years and make many lawyers rich . . . er richer?

    In honor of the 5 conservative judges on the Supreme Court, I offer here the top 10 reasons to oppose Gay Marriage. Enjoy
    rjzip 01/17/2015 08:38 PM