As it happens, no, I’m curious about both: what happens, with regard to a DC wedding, with and without the bill…
These religious loonies are annoying:
The Constitution recognizes to Congress plenary legal power over the territories and DC, and case law reaffirms they do not have original sovereignty, so in and for these jurisdictions, Congress can endow the local authorities with the capacity to carry out civil legal acts like issuing marriage licenses or land deeds and to enact local laws or ordinances, in the name of “the People of (Place)” as a legal person subordinate to but distinct from the US of A — so their licenses are not issued “by” the federal government, but they arise from a statutory, not constitutional, authority granted by it.
Her own (gay) nephew’s response:
“Aunt Vicky that’s just not right. Institutions of faith like religious universities are not being silenced. They’re being empowered by the U.S. government to discriminate against tens of thousands of LGBTQ students because of religious exemptions but they still receive federal funding. It’s more like you want the power to force your religious beliefs onto everyone else, and because you don’t have that power you feel like you’re being silenced, but you’re not.” - Andrew Hartzler
It breaks my heart. They seem well-adjusted and reasonable.
Potentially interesting case here in Oregon and a number of other states.
In 2004, we passed Measure 36, a constitutional amendment that decreed marriage between a man and a woman only (I didn’t vote for it). In 2014, the year before Obergefell, that amendment was ruled unconstitutional according to the US Constitution (violates Equal Protection Clause (EPC)) by a federal district judge. I believe similar rulings were made in other states.
Now what happens if SCOTUS reverses Obergefell, which was also based on the EPC? Does the 2014 ruling and similar rulings in other states get reversed too? Would it be automatic or would the Supremes have to explicitly reverse them? Or would anti-SSM forces have to file new lawsuits to get them reversed in each state?
An interesting article on the Republicans who supported the Respect act.