CINCINNATI (AP) - The march toward gay marriage across the U.S. hit a roadblock Thursday when a federal appeals court upheld laws against the practice in four states, creating a split in the legal system that increases the chances the Supreme Court will step in to decide the issue once and for all.
The cases decided were from Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Breaking ranks with other federal courts around the country, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that states have the right to set rules for marriage and that changing a definition that dates to “the earliest days of human history” is better done through the political process, not the courts.
“Surely the people should receive some deference in deciding when the time is ripe to move from one picture of marriage to another,” said Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton, writing for himself and a fellow George W. Bush appointee, while a Bill Clinton appointee dissented.
The ruling ran counter to a remarkably rapid string of victories for the gay rights movement over the past few months that have now made same-sex marriage legal in at least 30 states.
In fact, four other U.S. appeals courts in other regions of the country ruled in recent months that states cannot ban gay matrimony.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A federal appeals court upheld Tennessee law prohibiting the recognition of same-sex marriages, even if they are performed in other states.
The Thursday ruling marks a rare victory for gay marriage opponents. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel voted 2-1 to uphold same-sex marriage restrictions in Tennessee as well as Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky.
In Tennessee, three couples who were married in other states were seeking to force the state to recognize their unions. The ruling concluded that states have the right to set rules for marriage. Both Tennessee law and the state constitution recognize only marriages between one man and one woman.
Bill Harbison, an attorney for the couples, said he was disappointed but not ready to talk about the ruling.
“At this point, we’re still reviewing it. We need to talk it over with our clients,” he said.
While not saying whether they plan to appeal the decision, another attorney for the couples, Regina Lambert, wrote in an email that, “We are hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately resolve this matter and rule that equal protection requires Tennessee, and every state, to treat same-sex couples and their children with the same respect as other families.”
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - While the rest of the South slowly whittled away at abortion access, Tennessee’s clinics operated under less stringent restrictions.
That is about to change.
Voters on Tuesday approved altering the state constitution to make clear that it does not protect the right to an abortion - despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling establishing a nationwide right to abortion - and legislators are already talking about mandatory counselling and waiting periods to bring Tennessee in line with the eight surrounding states. The legislature meets again in January.
The amendment, approved by 53 percent of voters, was a slow motion response to a Tennessee Supreme Court ruling in 2000 that said abortion was protected by the state constitution. The amendment was brought before the legislature four months after that decision, but it took nearly 14 years to become law because of political opposition and the state’s lengthy referendum process.
“Clearly, I think the legislature wants to put commonsense legislation in place to make sure that abortion is a safe procedure in Tennessee and to restore the state to being in-line with the states around us,” said House Speaker Beth Harwell, a Nashville Republican.
Abortion rights supporters are worried that lawmakers will go too far. After the amendment passed, American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee Executive Director Hedy Weinberg issued a statement warning politicians that “extreme, medically-irrelevant laws will be strongly opposed by voters.”
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The former executive director of Tennessee Citizen Action says she will seek to chair the Tennessee Democratic Party.
Mary Mancini announced Tuesday that she arrived at her decision after many hours of listening to fellow Democrats.
Most recently, Mancini was a candidate for the state Senate. Prior to that she headed the advocacy group Tennessee Citizen Action, where she helped organize large scale voter registrations drives, among other things.
Former Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson is also seeking the Democratic Party chair. The Knoxville resident made her announcement shortly after her loss in the general election on Tuesday.
The Democratic Party is expected to hold elections for the chairmanship in January.
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