Slave state Sharia
Alabama’s Roy Moore tries to block marriage equality
In his order, Roy Moore – the Republican chief justice who made headlines last year for similarly standing in the way of same-sex nuptials in Alabama – said that the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision only struck down the four same-sex marriage bans that were specifically challenged in the landmark case of Obergefell v. Hodges. That lawsuit was a consolidated challenge to bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee – not Alabama.
Therefore, Moore wrote, Alabama probate judges still have a “ministerial duty” to comply with an order issued by the state Supreme Court last March to deny same-sex couples marriage licenses.
For those unfamiliar with Moore, it’s worth noting that his legal views tend to be … how do I put this gently … unique. Alabama’s chief justice, who’s already been thrown off the court once for defying court rulings he found objectionable, has argued repeatedly, for example, that states can ignore federal court rulings whenever they choose.
He’s also sometimes known as the “Ten Commandments Judge,” willing to use his position as a judge to advance his religious agenda. Now the jurist wants Alabama to ignore a U.S. Supreme Court ruling he finds objectionable.
In other words, Moore, widely seen as a crackpot by America’s legal mainstream, is not to be taken seriously. The problem, of course, is that he’s still the chief justice of the state Supreme Court, who just issued an order to probate judges statewide.
As of this morning, they’re not entirely sure whether to follow the law or follow Roy Moore’s bonkers interpretation of the law.
Chris Stoll, senior attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told MSNBC, “I can’t speak to what probate judges are going to do. But if they fail to comply with Judge Granade’s injunction, they’re exposing themselves to risk of contempt sanctions.”
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-s...d=sm_fb_maddow