Clarence Thomas has read the tea leaves of today’s Alabama order and in his dissent suggests it means the court had already made up its mind and will support same-sex marriage:
CBS SAN FRANCISCO – Justice Clarence Thomas is criticizing his Supreme Court colleagues for refusing to block same-sex marriage in Alabama until the court resolves the issue nationwide in a few months.
Thomas said in a dissenting opinion Monday that the court’s Alabama order could be seen as a signal that the justices already have decided they will declare that gay and lesbian couples have a right to marry under the Constitution.
The court often freezes lawsuits in place when they raise the same issue the court already has agreed to decide. Since October, the justices have repeatedly turned away state requests to keep same-sex marriages from taking place until appeals are resolved. Justice Antonin Scalia joined Thomas’ dissent.
Alabama’s plea is the first since the court stepped into the issue last month.The state began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Monday despite an 11th-hour attempt from the state’s chief justice — an outspoken opponent — to block the weddings.
The court said Monday morning that it wouldn’t stop the marriages, and shortly after, probate judges began granting the licenses to couples, some of whom had been lined up for hours and exited courthouses to applause from supporters.
I’m glad I’m no longer in the wedding business. The trend is that the rights of Christian business owners will be trampled by this. It may not happen in every state but it will happen.