Tag Archives: Arkansas

ARKANSAS: Senate Approves Resolution Calling For Constitutional Convention To Ban Same-Sex Marriage

The Associated Press reports: The Arkansas Senate on Tuesday endorsed a long-shot effort to push for amending the U.S. Constitution to effectively ban gay marriage and abortion, a move one Republican lawmaker said is needed to overturn rulings from the nation’s highest court. The majority-Republican chamber approved by a 19-9 vote a resolution calling for a federal constitutional convention to …

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ARKANSAS: State Supreme Court Strikes Down LGBT Rights Law Opposed By Famous Christian Child Molester

The local LGBT ordinance battled by former Family Research Council leader and incestuous child molester Josh Duggar has been struck down. Arkansas Online reports: The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a city’s ordinance banning discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, but it stopped short of saying whether a state law aimed at prohibiting such …

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ARKANSAS: State Official Resigns After Tweeting “Y’all In Trump’s America, Gay Jokes Are Back On, Ya Homos”

The Arkansas Times reports: Treasurer Dennis Milligan today announced he has accepted the resignation of Hunter Hatcher, an Outreach Coordinator for the Treasurer’s office. Hatcher publicly stated on social media that because Donald Trump was taking office, “Gay jokes are back on ya bunch of homos,” and also made derogatory comments (in the form of lame jokes) regarding the role …

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ARKANSAS: Republican Rep Pleads Guilty In Kickback Scheme That Diverted State Funds To Christian College

Raw Story reports: An Arkansas Republican lawmaker has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges that he personally profited from an elaborate bribery and kickback scheme involving a northwest Arkansas evangelical Christian college. Hemant Mehta at The Friendly Atheist pointed to the rapidly mushrooming scandal which the Arkansas Times said could land state Rep. Michah Neal behind bars for up …

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Arkansas Supreme Court: It’s A “Basic Biological Truth” That Gay Spouses Can’t Be Listed On Birth Certificates

The Associated Press reports: Arkansas’ highest court on Thursday threw out a judge’s ruling that could have allowed married same-sex couples to get the names of both spouses on their children’s birth certificates without a court order, saying it doesn’t violate equal protection “to acknowledge basic biological truths.” The state Supreme Court also issued a rare admonishment to Pulaski County …

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ARKANSAS: Gov. Asa Hutchinson Holds Off Bill That Would Make “Incorrect” Restroom Use A Sex Crime

NPR reports: Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he’s worked with fellow Republicans to keep a transgender bathroom bill off the agenda of a special session he called to address highway funding. Instead, Hutchinson plans to work with lawmakers on legislation for next year’s lengthier, regular legislative session. During a press conference, Hutchinson said adding the item to the special session has …

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CANDY MAN: Arkansas Preacher Charged With 70 Felony Counts Of Distributing Child Pornography

An Arkansas preacher has been charged with 70 felony counts of distributing, possessing, and viewing child pornography after a watchdog group tipped off authorities that he’d been trading the images via private messages on Twitter under the username “Candy Man.” Pastor David Reynolds of Cornerstone Bible Fellowship today pleaded not guilty to the charges. Reynolds’ church has issued a statement: …

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ARKANSAS: State Judge Resigns After Thousands Of Photos Reveal He Paddled Nude Male Defendants

Back in November I reported that an Arkansas judge had been accused of soliciting sex from male defendants. As it turns out, there’s much more to the story. NBC News reports: An Arkansas judge accused of swapping sex for reduced sentences resigned Monday after a state commission said it discovered thousands of photographs from his computer that depicted nude male …

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ARKANSAS: Man Threatens To Kill Seven Mayors And Raise “Christian Army” To Overthrow US Government

Arkansas Online reports: A Mineral Springs man accused of mailing threatening letters in January 2015 to seven Arkansas mayors is going back to jail on a federal judge’s order. Maverick Dean Bryan, 55, was released by U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven after a detention hearing March 28 in Texarkana’s downtown federal building. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris was so opposed …

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ARKANSAS: Judge Upholds Fayetteville’s LGBT Rights Law, Rules It Doesn’t Conflict With Statewide Ban

Take that, Duggar family. The Associated Press reports: A state judge on Tuesday upheld a northwest Arkansas city’s ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, ruling that it doesn’t conflict with a law aimed at blocking local protections for gays and lesbians. Washington County Circuit Judge Doug Martin ruled that the Fayetteville ordinance ratified by voters last …

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Trump Wins Virginia, Hillary Takes Arkansas

So far there have been no surprises, no upsets. Rubio did put up respectable numbers in Virginia, but its looking like he’ll go home empty-handed tonight. Not so, perhaps, for Ted Cruz, who holds a comfortable lead in Texas at this writing. Former Arkansas First Lady Hillary Clinton coasted to an easy win in her former home state, as expected.

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ARKANSAS: State Supreme Court Halts Birth Certificate Recognition For Same-Sex Parents

Arkansas continues to battle gay families and yesterday the state Supreme Court agreed with them. Reuters reports: The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily blocked a lower court order that allowed same-sex parents throughout the state to be listed as parents on the birth certificates of their children. It let stand the certificates obtained by three lesbian couples who had …

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ARKANSAS: Man Applies To Place “Gay Pride Festivus Pole” On Grounds Of State Capitol Building [VIDEO]

Arkansas Matters reports: A Florida man applied on Monday afternoon to place a “Gay Pride Festivus Pole” at the state Capitol grounds in Little Rock. Executive Director for the Humanity Fund Chaz Stevens said he sent in an Arkansas Secretary of State Temporary Display application around 1 p.m. on Monday. Stevens said that he erected his first Festivus pole in …

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ARKANSAS: Judge Accused Of Soliciting Sex From Young Men In Return For Lighter Sentences

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports: A Cross County judge is accused of soliciting sex from offenders in his court in exchange for sentence reductions, the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission said. District Court Judge Joseph Boeckmann will have 30 days to respond to charges filed by the commission, which were released Tuesday. He is also entitled to a hearing in front …

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ARKANSAS: Activists Celebrate As Fayetteville Voters Reject Duggar Family And Approve LGBT Rights Bill

Late last year the voters of Fayetteville, Arkansas repealed a city council-approved and comprehensive LGBT rights bill after a vicious campaign spearheaded by the Duggar family. Today Fayetteville voters rejected hate and by a 53-47 margin approved an imperfect new LGBT rights bill. The Democrat-Gazette reports: In a reversal of a similar special election last year, Fayetteville voters resoundingly ratified …

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ARKANSAS: Activists Booted From Anti-Gay Rights Rally Led By Martyred Oregon Bakers [VIDEO]

Thanks in large part to the work of the Duggar family, last December voters in Fayetteville, Arkansas repealed that town’s LGBT rights ordinance. Activists have placed another LGBT right bill on the ballot and last night four of them were booted out a “Protect Fayetteville” rally held at a Baptist church where martyred Oregon bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein spoke …

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ARKANSAS: Three Gay Couples Sue State Over Children’s Birth Certificates

Via the Associated Press: Three same-sex couples sued Arkansas health officials Monday for refusing to name both spouses on their children’s birth certificates, arguing the state is violating their constitutional rights after gay marriage was legalized nationwide. The married women said in the lawsuit filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court that the state Health Department would list only the biological …

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ARKANSAS: Another Renegade Clerk

After consulting with the Liberty Counsel, the county clerk of Van Buren County, Arkansas has distributed a memo which declares that her office will not be issuing same-sex marriage licenses.  Via the Arkansas Times: Pam Bradford, the Van Buren County clerk, circulated this memo to all county clerks today announcing her intention to defy the U.S. Supreme Court and have …

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Marriage Returns To Arkansas

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Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

“With the Supreme Court due to rule on marriage any day now, Presidential ‘candidate’ Rick Santorum says he would fight back against a pro-equality ruling. He says that states allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry is a violation of his religious freedom, which is an argument a lot people made about interracial marriage in the 60s. So do couples …

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