In all of the hoopla over Friday's U.S. Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, you might have missed the Washington Post op-ed by an ACLU official, saying her legal defense organization could no longer support the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Louise Melling, the ACLU’s deputy legal director, cited last year’s Hobby Lobby decision by the Supremes, and the prospect that religious organizations will use RFRA to discriminate against gay married couples.
It's time for Congress to amend the RFRA so that it cannot be used as a defense for discrimination. Religious freedom will be undermined only if we continue to tolerate and enable abuses in its name.
In other words, the federal fight over the fallout from Friday’s high court ruling will exactly parallel the one that Georgia has experienced the last two years. Another round next year is inevitable.
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State Rep. Sam Teasley, R-Marietta, the House's sponsor of the "religious liberty" proposal, offers this response to the ACLU's decision:
“I find it odd that the ones who primarily say that RFRA is about same-sex marriage happen to be proponents of same-sex marriage."
He adds: "It is disappointing that an organization that claims to be a champion of liberty can't bring itself to stand by a law it once championed."
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Savannah's former state Sen. and gubernatorial hopeful Eric Johnson has a provocative retort to the U.S. Supreme Court's gay marriage decision:
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Georgia leaders vowed months ago that the state would not become another Alabama when it came to same-sex marriage. And they stuck to that promise on Friday and over the weekend as dozens, if not hundreds, of gay couples tied the knot after the Supreme Court's landmark decision.
Chase Daughtrey, a Cook County judge and the head of the Council of Probate Courts, reports that there were no problems in any of the 159 county courts his council oversees. Court officials had new forms replacing the words "bride" and "groom" with "Applicant 1" and "Applicant 2" at the ready. And leaders in Columbus, Macon, Augusta, Valdosta and Savannah reported the same-sex ceremonies going off without a hitch.
Both Gov. Nathan Deal and Attorney General Sam Olens sent out statements within a few hours of the ruling expressing disappointment with the court's judgment but making clear the state would comply with its decision.
It was a contrast from the delays that hobbled the response in Louisiana and Mississippi, where local officials have yet to enforce the court's order. Alabama's chief judge suggested he would resist the ruling, and two counties there have opted out of the marriage business alltogether.
Still, expect to see plenty more from Georgia conservatives on this front. Here's a snippet from Sunday's front-page piece about the political ramifications:
"There's going to be a flurry of religious liberty measures that are a reaction to this decision," said state Sen. Josh McKoon, a Columbus Republican who sponsored SB 129 and sides with opponents of gay marriage.
McKoon and others also expect legislation that would dramatically change how marriage licenses are issued in Georgia. One proposal making the rounds would enable a religious or secular leader to issue a marriage certificate that can then be recorded with a probate judge. In that way, no government official is actually issuing a license.
"That would free government officials of the responsibility of making that decision," McKoon said. "And it gets the government totally out of the marriage business."
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Municipal-bond borrowing may be about to become more expensive for local governments, just because of this. From the New York Times:
The governor, Alejandro García Padilla, and senior members of his staff said in an interview last week that they would probably seek significant concessions from as many as all of the island's creditors, which could include deferring some debt payments for as long as five years or extending the timetable for repayment.
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Georgia could soon have its first "Outstanding" river. Activists delivered more than 6,000 petition signatures to the state Environmental Protection Division in favor of giving the Conasauga River that designation, the highest level of protection identified in the federal Clean Water Act. It's part of a package of changes being proposed by state environmental regulators.
That designation would prevent more pollution, such as pipelines channeled into the segment of river. Jennette Gayer of Environment Georgia said the headwaters "support one of the most biodiverse river ecosystems in the country."
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The SEC Primary officially will include Virginia on March 1, 2016, as Republican Party leaders on Saturday chose a primary instead of a state convention to pledge its RNC delegates. From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
However, in a compromise, the majority agreed to select the 2017 Republican slate for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general at a state convention that year.
Virginia is Atlantic Coast Conference country, but 3/1/16 will hardly be confined to the football-centric part of the country. The invaluable Frontloading HQ lists the following states voting in addition to Georgia on SEC primary day: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia.
Anyone who can find a better moniker to link all those SEC/ACC/Big 12/America East Conference states gets a gold star.
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Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is in Cuba, and so is our AJC colleague Katie Leslie. From her Sunday paper dispatch:
It also includes Jorge and Silvia Fernandez, who, like Diaz, are returning to a place each fled in the 1960s after Castro came to power. The Atlanta couple met as teenagers as both of their families built new lives in Puerto Rico.
In many ways, the group represents what President Barack Obama's decision to renew diplomatic relations with the Communist country could mean for Americans. For some, it's a chance for trade and business expansion to a country of nearly 12 million potential consumers. For others, it brings hope of reconnecting with an identity left behind.
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