In the News

Same-Sex Marriage: Flouting the Supreme Court

Billy Corriher writes that officials in Alabama are essentially arguing that the Constitution does not apply in their state.

Even as advocates for marriage equality predict victory at the U.S. Supreme Court this spring, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is instructing state judges to defy a federal court’s order to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, sparking what one law professor calls a “constitutional crisis.”

Moore, who gained notoriety after being kicked off the bench in 2003 for defying a federal court order to remove a 2.6-ton Ten Commandments monument from his courthouse, has said for weeks that he would continue to recognize the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Local media reported that, even before the order, at least five Alabama judges planned to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples when the federal court order went into effect this week.

The above excerpt was originally published in Newsweek. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Billy Corriher

Deputy Director, Legal Progress