Tag: Louisiana

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Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal Runs Out Of Excuses To Block Same-Sex Marriage

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has dragged his feet using every tiny possible excuse to avoid allowing the rulings of SCOTUS and the Fifth Circuit Court on marriage equality.

The latest excuse last night was that the state would not recognize same-sex marriages until the original ruling by the district court was rescinded.

The Fifth Circuit set a deadline of July 17th to act, BUT the district court moved on it.

From the ruling:

IT IS ORDERED that this Court’s Order and Reasons and the accompanying Judgment dated September 3, 2014, are hereby recalled and rescinded; IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Article XII, Section 15 of the Louisiana Constitution, Article 89 of the Louisiana Civil Code, and laws enacted pursuant thereto, violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and may not be enforced against the Plaintiffs or any other same-sex couple; IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Article XII, Section 15 of the Louisiana Constitution, Article 3520(B) of the Louisiana Civil Code, and laws enacted pursuant thereto, violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and may not be enforced against the Plaintiffs or any other same-sex couple.

New Orleans Advocate says that as of Noon today all Louisiana Parishes are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

And – DONE.

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Louisiana: State Senator Karen Carter Peterson Rips Gov. Jindal A New One

After Gov. Bobby Jindal’s “top legislative agenda” failed to make it out of committee (another “Religious Freedom” law), the governor decided to issue an executive order “that will accomplish the intent of HB 707 to prevent the state from discriminating against persons or entities with deeply held religious beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman.”

This did not go over well in Louisiana. The governor’s negative job rating has dropped all the way down to 64.7%.

But the best part of the story is this blistering speech from the floor of the state Senate by Sen. Karen Carter Peterson.

Ms. Peterson does NOT hold back in her opinion. I like this woman. Watch below:

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Louisiana: Gov. Bobby Jindal Plans Executive Order On “Religious Freedom”

Earlier today, the Louisiana state House failed to advance Gov. Bobby Jindal’s HB 707 on a vote of 10-2. The bill is similar to other states’ “Religious Freedoms” legislation that has become synonymous with anti-gay animus.

In a statement this afternoon, Jindal says he will issue an executive order that will do what his failed bill might have done:

“We are disappointed by the committee’s action to return the Louisiana Marriage and Conscience Act to the calendar.

“We will be issuing an Executive Order shortly that will accomplish the intent of HB 707 to prevent the state from discriminating against persons or entities with deeply held religious beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman.

“This Executive Order will prohibit the state from denying or revoking a tax exemption, tax deduction, contract, cooperative agreement, loan, professional license, certification, accreditation, or employment on the basis the person acts in accordance with a religious belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.”

Jindal plans to announce a 2016 run for the GOP presidential nomination on June 11th.

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Louisiana Teen Will Be Allowed To Wear Tux To Her Prom

If this wasn’t the silliest thing to get upset about.

Last week, Claudetteia, 17, was told by Carroll High School Principal Taylor that she would not be allowed to attend her prom in Monroe, Louisiana, if she wore a tuxedo.

Seriously, who cares if a teenage girl wants to wear a tux. Didn’t Diane Keaton win an Oscar in 1977 for Annie Hall wearing men’s suits? And didn’t that start a huge fashion trend?

Geraldine Jackson, Claudetteia’s mother, met with Principal Taylor to discuss this further and was reportedly told that “girls wear dresses and boys wear tuxes, and that’s the way it is.”

Principal Taylor also reportedly claimed that approximately half of the faculty scheduled to work at the prom would refuse to chaperone if Claudetteia were permitted to wear a tuxedo.

Claudetteia and several of her friends originally planned on attending the prom together, but, because of the school’s refusal to allow Claudetteia to wear a tuxedo, have opted not go to the prom unless the school changes its discriminatory policy.

The negative response against Principal Taylor’s decision was swift. Two members of the Monroe County Board of Education, which oversees Carroll High School, vowed to ensure that Claudetteia would be allowed to wear a tuxedo to her prom.

Yesterday,  Principal Patrick Taylor and Monroe City School Board President Bishop Rodney McFarland Sr. contacted Claudetteia Love, who is being represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), to inform her that she will be allowed to wear a tuxedo to her senior prom on April 24.

“We are pleased to hear that Principal Taylor and the Monroe City School Board corrected this wrong before any serious harm was done. Forbidding girls from wearing a tuxedo to the prom would have served no purpose other than to reinforce the worst sorts of harmful stereotypes and censor a core part of Claudetteia’s identity,” said NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell. “The school is doing the right thing by supporting its students and teaching them the value of respect and acceptance of one another’s differences.”

(via press release)

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SCOTUS Says “No” To Louisiana Marriage Equality Review

The US Supreme Court rejected a request from same-sex couples to review a Louisiana decision against the freedom to marry today.

The decision not to hear the Louisiana case was not unexpected as gay rights advocates had sought to skip the regular judicial process by seeking Supreme Court review before the case had been decided by an appeals court. Gay rights advocates representing the Louisiana plaintiffs said in court papers there is a “pressing need” to resolve the issue once and for all.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which has jurisdiction over the state of Louisiana, heard arguments in the case on Friday and has not yet ruled. The same court is also weighing challenges to bans in Texas and Mississippi.

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Louisiana: Bill Cassidy Trumps Sen. Mary Landrieu In Final Election of 2014

It was a foregone conclusion, but with Bill Cassidy’s official win over 3-term Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, the official gain for Republicans in the US Senate is brought to a total of nine.

This gives Republicans a 4 seat majority.

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Lambda Legal Requests SCOTUS Review Of Louisiana Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

Lambda Legal, along with Forum for Equality Louisiana, have filed a request for review of the September US District Court ruling which upheld Louisiana’s anti-gay marriage law.

Via press release:

The groups are seeking U.S. Supreme Court review in advance of the hearing in the case, Robicheaux v. Caldwell, before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals scheduled for January.

“The ruling from the lower court in this case is a time-warped reading of the Constitution and neglects developments in the law, including since the Supreme Court’s decision in Windsor,” said Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Kenneth D. Upton, Jr. “We have seen a blizzard of well-reasoned rulings in recent months holding similarly discriminatory bans unconstitutional, including rulings out of the Fourth, Seventh, Ninth and Tenth Circuits Courts of Appeal. We are asking for the Supreme Court’s review now while it is considering the Sixth Circuit decision because together these cases present the full gamut of aberrant arguments supporting these discriminatory bans, and, in Louisiana specifically, present in one state a case covering both the right of same-sex couples to marry, and for legally married same-sex couples to have those marriages recognized.

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Louisiana: State Judge Rules Ban on Same-Sex Marriage Unconstitutional

According to KLFY News in Layfayette, Louisiana, a state judge has ruled in favor of marriage equality saying the state’s current ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional on the basis that the law violates due process clause of 14th amendment, equal protection clause of 14th amendment, and the full faith and credit clause of the constitution.

From Freedom To Marry:

The case, In Re Costanza and Brewer, was filed in 2013 on behalf of Angela Marie Costanza and Chastity Shanelle Brewer, who are raising their 10-year-old son in Lafayette. The case sought respect for Angela and Chastity’s marriage license; since Louisiana did not respect their marriage, one mother was not permitted to legally adopt her son.

The ruling today grants the second-parent adoption and affirms that the Louisiana amendment violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment.

The ruling today comes just three weeks after U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman became the first federal judge since June 2013 to uphold marriage discrimination, when he ruled in Robicheaux v. Caldwell in favor of marriage discrimination in Louisiana. Judge Rubin’s order today is a swift rebuttal of the out-of-step decision in Robicheaux and is another demonstration that America – all of America – is ready for the freedom to marry.

This marks the 40th ruling in support of marriage equality since the SCOTUS ruling in Windsor in June of 2013.

Of course, you can expect today’s ruling to be appealed.

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Louisiana: Federal judge rules against marriage equality for first time since Jun 2013

Today, U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman has become the first federal judge since June of 2013 to rule against marriage equality in a case filed in Louisiana regarding the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

From Judge Feldman’s ruling:

“It would no doubt be celebrated to be in the company of the near-unanimity of the many other federal courts that have spoken to this pressing issue, if this Court were confident in the belief that those cases provide a correct guide.”

Feldman maintained that there is no “fundamental right” to marriage:  “Public attitude might be becoming more diverse, but any right to same-sex marriage is not yet so entrenched as to be fundamental.”

Chris Geidner from Buzzfeed points to this from Judge Feldman:

This Court is persuaded that Louisiana has a legitimate interest…whether obsolete in the opinion of some, or not, in the opinion of others…in linking children to an intact family formed by their two biological parents, as specifically underscored by Justice Kennedy in Windsor.

Despite the decision he authored, Feldman noted that “many other courts will have an opportunity to take up the issue of same-sex marriage; courts of appeals and, at some point, the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision of this Court is but one studied decision among many.”

Evan Wolfson of Freedom To Marry issued this statement: “We’ve won nearly all of the 40 state and federal marriage cases this year. Today’s Louisiana loss is a reminder that we’re not done. The loss is why couples should not have to fight state by state, case by case, year by year. It’s time for the Supreme Court to rule nationwide.”

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Louisiana: Federal judge doesn’t need any more briefs to reach ruling

A federal judge in Louisiana says he doesn’t need any more briefs or arguments to make his decision in a same-sex marriage case.

From The Republic:

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman has already heard arguments regarding Louisiana’s refusal to recognize the unions of gay couples legally married in other states. At the end of that hearing he asked for briefs on related issues — including whether the state’s refusal to let same-sex couples marry in Louisiana is constitutional. Feldman said he didn’t want to make a piecemeal ruling on the gay marriage issue.

Feldman this week issued an order stating that he has studied the briefs in the case and found that no further briefs or arguments are needed. He gave no indication when he will rule.