NORTH CAROLINA: Federal Lawsuit Challenges Marriage Opt-Out For County Magistrates

A team of North Carolina attorneys has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn a state law which allows officials to refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses in the name of Jesus. The Charlotte Observer reports:

Attorneys Jake Sussman, Luke Largess and John Gresham are part of the legal team that filed a lawsuit against the state Wednesday. They claim the religious-objection law that allows magistrates and other officials to excuse themselves from issuing same-sex marriage licenses or performing gay weddings is unconstitutional. The lawyers represent three couples in North Carolina who are plaintiffs in the case.

The 20-page federal complaint accuses legislative leaders of passing a law that supports a specific religious view, defies court rulings that gay couples have a constitutional right to marriage, and of enabling magistrates and other officials to ignore their oaths to uphold the law.

“Senate Bill 2 undermines the constitutional integrity of our judicial system,” Sussman said. “It empowers magistrates who abdicate their judicial obligation to protect the constitutional rights of all citizens as established by the Supreme Court and keeps in office those who believe as a matter of faith that gays and lesbians are not full citizens.”

GOP Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed the law, but he was overridden by the General Assembly. (Tipped by JMG reader Rob)