Arkansas Supreme Court weasels out of Federal judge's ruling to kill their same-sex marriage ban, ju - Polidicks

[URL="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/15/arkansas-gay-marriage-law/9134277/"]Judge strikes all Arkansas bans on gay marriage[/URL] [QUOTE]A day after being overruled by the Arkansas Supreme Court, the county judge who struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage issued a broader decision Thursday that clears the way -- at least temporarily -- for such unions to resume. ... In Arkansas, the attorney general said he would appeal Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza's ruling, which voids a constitutional ban on clerks issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Wednesday, the state's top court said his decision Friday striking down constitutional and statutory bans on same-sex marriage did not affect the licensing law. Piazza refused to suspend his earlier decision, saying same-sex marriages would not harm the state. "A stay would operate to further damage Arkansas families and deprive them of equal access to the rights associated with marriage status in this state," he wrote. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, a Democrat who supports gay marriage but is defending the state's law, will ask the high court to suspend Piazza's latest order. Pulaski County planned to resume issuing licenses to same-sex couples immediately. [/QUOTE] Previously on SH: [URL="http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1392747"]Rainbows over the Natural State! Federal judge strikes down Arkansas' gay marriage ban[/URL]

I understand the AG's actions, but damn, how much do you really support something if you're actively working against it? "Just doing my job."

Using legal loopholes to try and keep gay marriage illegal. At this point, do they [i]really[/i] not realise that they're not accomplishing anything here?

[QUOTE=outlawpickle;44819384]I understand the AG's actions, but damn, how much do you really support something if you're actively working against it? "Just doing my job."[/QUOTE] Would you trust a carpenter who built a really shitty shed in your back yard, just because he didn't like where you want your shed? In the same way, lawyers and lawmakers of any type are obliged to carry their craft to its fullest extent out of professional obligation, no matter what their belief. To not do so is a quick way to get fired, and is also in some cases illegal and can disrupt the rulings of previous cases. (Conflict of interest, et al.) [QUOTE=Jamsponge;44819385]Using legal loopholes to try and keep gay marriage illegal. At this point, do they [i]really[/i] not realise that they're not accomplishing anything here?[/QUOTE] If you want to be broadly optimistic, what they're doing when they use those loop holes now, is preventing them from being used later. If you want to be cynical, then [I]thank god those boneheads are making their brazen, idiotic move right now. [/I] Either way, for the letter of the law it is actually important to create a robust and wide ranging grasp of precedents.

[QUOTE=outlawpickle;44819384]I understand the AG's actions, but damn, how much do you really support something if you're actively working against it? "Just doing my job."[/QUOTE] If the prosecution fails to push the prosecution due to their own bias, the entire case can be invalidated. The AG HAS to make every reasonable effort against it.

[QUOTE=outlawpickle;44819384]I understand the AG's actions, but damn, how much do you really support something if you're actively working against it? "Just doing my job."[/QUOTE] It's politics, he's got future elections to think about. He's in a homophobic state, he can't go all in on gay marriage without forfeiting his political future. This way he can say with a straight face "I upheld the law but I was on your side" to the gay community, playing both sides.

The [I]real[/I] irony is, Judge Piazza's ruling to destroy the bans is based heavily on [I]Loving Vs. Virginia[/I]. If your US History is rusty, that's the case that overturned Virginia's interracial marriage ban. [QUOTE=Jamsponge;44819385]At this point, do they [i]really[/i] not realise that they're not accomplishing anything here?[/QUOTE] I know the old saying about what happens if you do not know history, but for some of these lawmakers, the civil rights battle happened in their lifetimes. The final outcome is predictable, all they can do is stalemate for time.

If a federal judge tells you to do something, you fucking do it. These idiots should lose their jobs