Alabama Chief Justice Takes A Stand For Real Marriage
Hot Air Reports:
It's Roy Moore, who's already nationally famous for his willingness to defy federal courts. He got elected chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2001, had a monument to the Ten Commandments installed on the courthouse grounds, then was tossed off the bench for refusing to comply when a federal judge ordered him to remove the monument to prevent a violation of the Establishment Clause.
He got reelected chief justice a few years ago and now he's going to defy the federal judiciary on another hot-button "values" issue, namely, last week's ruling that the part of the Alabama constitution that bans gay marriage violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses.
"As Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, I will continue to recognize the Alabama Constitution and the will of the people overwhelmingly expressed in the Sanctity of Marriage Amendment," Moore wrote.
"I ask you to continue to uphold and support the Alabama Constitution with respect to marriage, both for the welfare of this state and for our posterity," Moore continued at the end of the letter. "Be advised that I stand with you to stop judicial tyranny and any unlawful opinions issued without constitutional authority."&
"As you know, nothing in the United States Constitution grants the federal government the authority to redefine the institution of marriage," Moore wrote.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley responded with his own statement, acknowledging that "[a]s governor, I must uphold the Constitution" but adding that "[t]he Federal government must not infringe on the rights of states."
If all of this sounds familiar, it should: It's the same basic nullification idea that Mike Huckabee was pushing last week when he insisted that SCOTUS can't legalize gay marriage on its own. The Court needs the cooperation of state legislatures, he claimed, which is & just not correct but makes for a nifty talking point for a guy who wants to show social conservatives that he's willing to do things to defend traditional marriage that the other so-called social cons in the field are not. Here's what he said this weekend in Iowa when asked about that again: