New Mexico supreme court decision

[devi (imported)]

The New Mexico supreme court has unanimously upheld same sex weddings for the whole state yesterday (Dec 19, 2013). Same sex weddings had formerly been banned by in 1962 for the modern age with the issuance of a new legal marriage form that specified entries for "husband" and "wife" and then later insisting that the "husband" be "male" and the "wife" be "female". Later they were briefly allowed in Sandoval county in 2000s but later disallowed and for a long time those weddings that had been performed were held in limbo. And over the course of last summer certain counties began allowing them including Santa Fe and Bernalillo (Albuquerque) so that most of the population were in counties that allowed it. So certain other counties at the behest of the right wing which were opposed to these types of weddings demanded a ruling from the supreme court in hopes of overturning same sex weddings. But now the supreme court has made its ruling and even the county I'm in allows these types of weddings now. They are once again legal in the land of enchantment.

[Riverwind (imported)]

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - A federal judge struck down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional on Friday, handing a major victory to gay rights activists in a conservative state where the Mormon church wields considerable influence.

U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby, ruling in a lawsuit brought by three gay couples, found that an amendment to the Utah Constitution defining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman violated the rights of gay couples to due process and equal protection under the U.S. Constitution.

"The state's current laws deny its gay and lesbian citizens their fundamental right to marry and, in doing so, demean the dignity of these same sex couples for no rational reason. Accordingly, the court finds that these laws are unconstitutional," Shelby said.

The judge's 53-page written decision barred the state from enforcing its ban and adds to growing momentum toward legalizing gay marriage across the nation.

It also touched off an immediate rush to the altar by gay couples, especially in Salt Lake City, where a festive atmosphere broke out in the county government building that played host to a string of impromptu weddings - including that of a state senator to his longtime partner.

But a spokesman for the state's Attorney General's office said lawyers would seek an emergency stay of the judge's order while the office appealed to a higher court.

As I said back 6 months ago that this would be something that would snowball, it is happening even faster then I thought. Utah will fight this all the way to the Supreme Court and I do believe this court will call it. Marriage equality for all and about time.

[Dave (imported)]

The Utah Decision is particularly important.

You see, the New Mexico decision was for New Mexico only and not applicable to any other state. And won't be cited as law in any other state to remove a prohibition on same-sex marriage. The only thing it does is make same-sex marriage legitimate in New MExico.

However, the Utah decision has implications for every other state with a legal prohibition against same-sex marriage. It says that the Utah Constitution must follow the USA constitution as the law of the land and may not ban same-sex marriage. Now that case stands as federal precedent and is able to be cited and able to influence other states that restrict or prohibit same sex marriage.

[devi (imported)]

The Utah decision probably caught everybody off guard on all sides of the issue. I myself am flabbergasted. Knowing Utah fairly well, it was a shock to me. The New Mexico decision wasn't a shock, only that had taken so very long in coming. I remember in the 1970's gays coming to New Mexico because at that time it was deemed the state with the most chance for marriage even though no new weddings were being performed for over a decade then. However Utah is an epicenter of right wing beliefs (albeit slightly different than Idaho, Kansas or Alabama) and this drives the issue right home into their very own turf. Usually in the past when people would shout, "Constitution, constitution, constitution!" you would always know that they really didn't understand anything about the constitution or the bible which they had deceived themselves into thinking they understood. So it is the ruling in Utah which tops everything else. And I'm still amazed that it finally came about so soon in Utah!

[Losethem (imported)]

Earlier today I could have sworn I saw Satan in the store buying a heavy jacket.

--LT

[A-1 (imported)]

Earlier today I could have sworn I saw Satan in the store buying a heavy jacket.

--LT

Was it PINK LEATHER?

[devi (imported)]

Don't think the weather channel or wunderground or any other internet weather places cover the weather down there. But it would be interesting to know.

[Losethem (imported)]

Personally, I think the Utah thing is karma coming back to roost on the Mormons doorstep for all their support of California's Prop 8.

--LT

[Riverwind (imported)]

I agree, no good deed goes unpunished.

River

[A-1 (imported)]

Personally, I think the Utah thing is karma coming back to roost on the Mormons doorstep for all their support of California's Prop 8.

--LT

...just don't get the bright idea of taking a same-sex couple wagon train across Utah.