So, same-sex marriage in Arkansas...

[Caramel]

http://www.towleroad.com/2014/05/arkans ... e-ban.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ ... story.html

Could there be some un-telegenic freaking out Duggar-style soon?

And, on a more large scale political/civil rights side of the topic: Yay!

[ILoveJellybeans]

Can I go court a Duggar girl then?

[Caramel]

If you can tolerate being Jim Bob's prayer buddy for a while.

[ILoveJellybeans]

If you can tolerate being Jim Bob's prayer buddy for a while.

Only if after the marriage I don't have to socialise with him other than on special occasions.

[Caramel]

Leave and cleave.

[Rescinded and Mended]

Only if after the marriage I don't have to socialise with him other than on special occasions.

You could always become a missionary and take your lady love to a foreign country, and live there under the pretense of bringing the locals closer to God. That's what I'd tell Jim Bob in the letters home, anyway. ;)

[anjulibai]

Yay!!!

[Cleopatra7]

I think it's only a matter of time before all of the same-sex marriage bans are overturned, even in the Deep South. There are already test cases being arranged in Georgia by couples who want to challenge our constitutional ban. However, I think what will really force the issue will the corporate world. It's a pain for a large company to have to deal with a certain benefits package for straight couples and the patchwork of regulations affecting same-sex couples, and it would be in their interest to just have one for everyone. The problem is that many places in the South are doggedly rural, especially Mississippi, so the corporate pressure won't be as persuasive since they don't have a prescence anyway.

[twinmama]

I know it's horrible that I don't know this, but what happened with interracial marriage? Did they over turn bans state by state or did it eventually become federal law?

To me it seems so strange that one state can over turn a ban by saying it's unconstitutional, but another state can uphold their own ban. At some point I feel like the federal gov't needs to just say it's unconstitutional everywhere and be done with it. Otherwise, they are basically endorsing state sponsored inequality.

[ViolaSebastian]

IIRC, Loving vs. Virginia (the case that challenged that interracial marriage was illegal) overturned the ban nationwide after the supreme court decided it was illegal.

[anjulibai]

IIRC, Loving vs. Virginia (the case that challenged that interracial marriage was illegal) overturned the ban nationwide after the supreme court decided it was illegal.

Yes, that was it. I think the bans might have stayed on the books of many states for quite a while, but they couldn't be enforced. That case is often sited by judges when the strike down same-sex marriage bans.

BTW, before she died, Mildred Loving released a statement supporting same-sex marriage.

[RachelB]

Congratulations to everyone in Arkansas who's been waiting for this ruling, and special congratulations to all those who helped bring it about.

[twinmama]

Cool, thank you for the info. Loving V Virginia was actually referenced in the decision to overturn in Arkansas.

From George Takei's Facebook:

[Rachel333]

So happy about this. I miss Arkansas so much, I want to go home.

[RosyDaisy]

I think it's only a matter of time before all of the same-sex marriage bans are overturned, even in the Deep South. There are already test cases being arranged in Georgia by couples who want to challenge our constitutional ban. However, I think what will really force the issue will the corporate world. It's a pain for a large company to have to deal with a certain benefits package for straight couples and the patchwork of regulations affecting same-sex couples, and it would be in their interest to just have one for everyone. The problem is that many places in the South are doggedly rural, especially Mississippi, so the corporate pressure won't be as persuasive since they don't have a prescence anyway.

Hell will freeze over before ass backwards Alabama legalize same sex marriage, unfortunately. My future SIL would love to marry her partner here in Bama.

[thoughtful]

The state bird of Arkansas (the mockingbird) reacts to the decision:

[doggie]

gonna be a lot of soggy cheerios in the dugger house

[Mary C Doates]

Cool, thank you for the info. Loving V Virginia was actually referenced in the decision to overturn in Arkansas.

From George Takei's Facebook:

I thought that high-pitched wailing sound was a test of the Indian Point nuclear power plant emergency alert system--turns out it was the sound of Smuggar having his own meltdown.

PS Yay!

[mirele]

Cool, thank you for the info. Loving V Virginia was actually referenced in the decision to overturn in Arkansas.

From George Takei's Facebook:

I just want to cry! Thank you your Honor for seeing this!

[FloraKitty35]

I thought that high-pitched wailing sound was a test of the Indian Point nuclear power plant emergency alert system--turns out it was the sound of Smuggar having his own meltdown.

PS Yay!

I just checked Smuggar's twitter and no mention of it yet. It is date night for him and Anna (i.e Chik Fil A and missionary position sex). :ew:

[coexist]

IIRC, Loving vs. Virginia (the case that challenged that interracial marriage was illegal) overturned the ban nationwide after the supreme court decided it was illegal.

It was still on the books here in Alabama when I came for college in 1994. I actually saw that mentioned at the very end of the Loving documentary and was shocked, sort of.

[FloraKitty35]

It was still on the books here in Alabama when I came for college in 1994. I actually saw that mentioned at the very end of the Loving documentary and was shocked, sort of.

I've seen that documentary too. Once a law is overturned at the federal level (i.e. Loving) state laws banning something (interracial marriage for example) are null and void, but they still should edited it out of updated editions of the state law code.

[Arete]

Congratulations to Arkansas! Another state in the plus column. Tick, tock, tick, tock, fundies. :dance:

[freedomjesusfootball]

I've seen that documentary too. Once a law is overturned at the federal level (i.e. Loving) state laws banning something (interracial marriage for example) are null and void, but they still should edited it out of updated editions of the state law code.

I do not understand how the same sex marriage bans in every state did not get overturned after the supreme court ruled that prop 8 was unconstitutional. Why is every state having to go through a federal circuit court to come to the same conclusion? Can someone who has a law background explain this? I am a little embarrassed about my lack of knowledge of how the court hierarchy works.

[Caramel]

It is very complicated, for good but frustrating legal reasons -- many of them. However, this wiki is a pretty good intro to the complexities as they stand today: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_m ... ted_States