Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJuly 15th, 2014
Over the weekend, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department will urge the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold lower court rulings which have struck down bans against same-sex marriage in more than twenty states:
If the Supreme Court agrees to hear any of those cases, the Justice Department will file a brief with the court that “will be in support of same-sex marriage,” Holder said in a rare interview, sitting down with ABC News’ Pierre Thomas.
Holder said the brief would be “consistent with the actions that we have taken over the past couple of years.” The Justice Department has refused to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and its legal efforts to extend federal benefits to same-sex couples have been successful.
Holder called the battle for marriage equality “a defining civil rights challenge of our time.”
Last week, the Attorney General’s office for the state of Utah announced that it would take its appeal of a lower court ruling striking down the state’s same-sex marriage ban straight to the U.S. Supreme Court rather than ask for an en banc hearing before the entire Tenth Circuit. A three-judge panel of the Tenth Circuit in June upheld a Federal District Court’s ruling which declared Utah’s ban against same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
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William Cohen
July 15th, 2014
What a magnificent day might be final Marriage Equality Victory Day! There ought to be a postage stamp in honor of Edie Windsor.
customartist
July 15th, 2014
So who ya gonna vote for?
Eric Payne
July 15th, 2014
Hello from Intensive Care from Lawrenceville GA, WHERE MY HUSBAND, LEGALLY, IS JUST MY REAL GOOD FREIEND.
Richard Rush
July 15th, 2014
Eric, please recover soon.
Stefan
July 15th, 2014
William,
For her to have a stamp she’d have to die first!
Eric Payne
July 15th, 2014
I spent a lot of today conscious so that’s a good sign. Got some cream soup to stay down.
Paul Douglas
July 16th, 2014
Sorry you’ve been sick Eric. Sorry you are in Georgia, too.
Timothy Kincaid
July 16th, 2014
Eric,
All of our very best wishes for your speedy recovery.
I hope the hospital is respecting your relationship. I believe that if your hospital receives any medicare or medicaid funding, it must allow you to designate who is empowered to make medical decisions and who is considered family for visitation.
jerry
July 16th, 2014
I do hope Eric is up and fighting the good fight soon.
On the article, though I have to admit that I’m still in a bit of shock that the haters haven’t found a single judge yet who agrees with them.
I think the four horsemen of the apocalypse would be happy to overturn these appellate court rulings but they just aren’t sure they can get Kennedy to go along as the fifth horseman
I’m waiting to see if Sotomayor is pushed to give Utah a pass so the court can continue to whistle and ignore the issue.
Spunky
July 16th, 2014
Feel better soon, Eric!
And, as much as I hate to say it, jerry, there was one judge in the 10th Circuit Appeals Court who wanted to uphold Utah’s marriage ban. But the fact that I’m complaining about one judge who isn’t on our side is like complaining about rolling a 1 in Dungeons and Dragons.
Eric Payne
July 16th, 2014
Thanks, everyone.
I had… something… that happened which triggered a bout of pancreatitis… which triggered a heart attrack and very nearly killed me. I’ve been in intensive care since Sunday night, and at one point, it was only the threat of notifying the Feds that got any attention at all… the docs wanted to run a “central line” through my neck and sternum. I said “No.” Bill heard me say no. The attending ACTED like he didn’t hear me, and was going to run it, anyway. When Bill went to stop him, the attendant threatened Bill with expulsion from EE. Situation resolved when I just got up from table and stumbled toward door to leave. Since then, no problems.
Richard Rush
July 17th, 2014
Eric, please continue to keep us posted.
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