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WillyT

(72,631 posts)
Thu Jan 23, 2014, 04:17 PM Jan 2014

New Virginia Attorney General Drops Defense of Gay Marriage Ban - NYT

New Virginia Attorney General Drops Defense of Gay Marriage Ban
By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS -NYT
JAN. 23, 2014

<snip>

The attorney general of Virginia has concluded that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and has joined the suit that challenged the law in federal court, a spokesman for the office said Thursday.

Michael Kelly, a spokesman for Attorney General Mark R. Herring, said that instead of defending the ban, “the Commonwealth will side with the plaintiffs in seeking to have the ban declared unconstitutional.”

The decision by Mr. Herring, who took office as attorney general this month, follows recent rulings by federal court judges in Utah and Oklahoma that have struck down laws forbidding same-sex marriage in those states. The move is an abrupt shift from previous positions taken by Virginia’s socially conservative elected officials.

On Thursday, the attorney general filed a brief in federal court in Norfolk — where a lawsuit challenging the ban is being heard — to notify the court of the state’s change in position.

“After thorough legal review, I have now concluded that Virginia’s ban on marriage between same sex couples violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution on two grounds: marriage is a fundamental right being denied to some Virginians, and the ban unlawfully discriminates on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender,” Mr. Herring told reporters at a news conference.

<snip>

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/us/new-virginia-attorney-general-drops-defense-of-gay-marriage-ban.html


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New Virginia Attorney General Drops Defense of Gay Marriage Ban - NYT (Original Post) WillyT Jan 2014 OP
Well that is good yeoman6987 Jan 2014 #1
I'm very proud that I cast a vote for this man as AG. Raine1967 Jan 2014 #2
Thank You For That !!! WillyT Jan 2014 #3
Happy to cast those votes. Raine1967 Jan 2014 #9
I heard him on NPR this morning etherealtruth Jan 2014 #4
You see folks? Elections matter and both parties aren't the same. Cali_Democrat Jan 2014 #5
AMEN!!!! Raine1967 Jan 2014 #7
Days are looking brighter for the Commonwealth theHandpuppet Jan 2014 #6
That was fast!!! nt msanthrope Jan 2014 #8

Raine1967

(11,589 posts)
2. I'm very proud that I cast a vote for this man as AG.
Thu Jan 23, 2014, 04:34 PM
Jan 2014

I see really good things for this Commonwealth!


to AG Herring!

etherealtruth

(22,165 posts)
4. I heard him on NPR this morning
Thu Jan 23, 2014, 08:14 PM
Jan 2014

He has a terrific sense of right and wrong and a very strong moral base (ie he believes all human beings are entitled to equal rights on the basis of their humanity)

Raine1967

(11,589 posts)
7. AMEN!!!!
Thu Jan 23, 2014, 09:30 PM
Jan 2014

As I said above, I think we will see good things coming from Virginia in the next few years.

This is just a start.

ELECTIONS MATTER!!!

theHandpuppet

(19,964 posts)
6. Days are looking brighter for the Commonwealth
Thu Jan 23, 2014, 08:16 PM
Jan 2014

Congrats to all the Virginia Dems who worked to make this happen!

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