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ANTONIN SCALIA: 'When Did It Become Unconstitutional To Exclude Homosexual Couples From Marriage?'
Business Insider ^ | 03/26/2013 | Brett LoGiurato

Posted on 03/26/2013 2:41:44 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

During oral arguments today at the Supreme Court, Justice Antonin Scalia and attorney Ted Olson had a pointed exchange over whether same-sex marriage is a fundamental right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Scalia's argument, which was advanced by Chief Justice John Roberts before him, was that when the institution of marriage developed historically, it was not done with the explicit intent of excluding gay and lesbian couples. "We don't prescribe law for the future," Scalia said. "We decide what the law is. I'm curious, when did it become unconstitutional to exclude homosexual couples from marriage? 1791? 1868? When the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted?"

Olson countered that with a question of his own, bringing up two past high-profile cases involving discrimination.

"When did it become unconstitutional to prohibit interracial marriages? When did it become unconstitutional to assign children to separate schools?"

Olson asked.

The two went back and forth, with Scalia repeatedly questioning when, specifically, it became unconstitutional to bar gay couples from marrying. Olson argued back, but ended up conceding that there was no specific date.

"Well, how am I supposed to how to decide a case, then, if you can't give me a date when the Constitution changes?" Scalia said.

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: demagogicparty; doma; gaymarriage; homosexualagenda; nambla; scalia; scotus; sodomy; ssm; supremecourt
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To: discostu
From a governmental/ legal perspective marriage is about property management and inheritance, not mating.

Oh... stupid me. I thought it was someting about LIFETIME COMMITMENT.

81 posted on 03/26/2013 7:57:17 PM PDT by SomeCallMeTim ( The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them)
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To: Tau Food

How about no sex BEFORE marriage?


82 posted on 03/26/2013 7:59:50 PM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Technological progress cannot be legislated.)
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To: EDINVA

Personally, I don’t think it would ever go that far, but regardless of how much social damage gays might choose to do, it isn’t the point of my argument. Fact is, marriage is a tradition and contract between a man and a woman. My point is that the present law doesn’t discriminate against homosexuals. They are as free to marry someone of the opposite sex as heterosexuals are. Olson’s comparison of old laws prohibiting interracial marriage to laws prohibiting gay marriage is logically incorrect. Interracial marriage never sought to alter the meaning of marriage.

There are many homosexuals in straight marriages for different reasons. Obama is one example. I’ve never heard that it is spreading AIDs into straight communities, or that our daughters are rushing out to marry queers. They seem to be done for children or social reasons. I should add that I’m not advocating it. ...The institution of marriage, as it has existed for thousands of years, doesn’t discriminate against gays.


83 posted on 03/26/2013 8:02:14 PM PDT by pallis
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To: Conserev1
The obvious mistake here is (NOT) Law versus religion!

This is about human biology, PLUS a group of people who wish to pervert everything they can lay their dirty grimy hands on and degrade the rest of the human race down to their slimy (Can you say - perverted) level of life.

84 posted on 03/26/2013 8:21:55 PM PDT by jongaltsr
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To: pallis

The threat to which I referred is nefarious and was suggested by one of the more radical pro-gay groups. Of course the gay men would not flaunt their gayness. They would ACT straight until the marriage to the woman was a done deal, then break the news which, in most cases, would be heartbreaking. I’ve known a few women who’ve ‘been there’ and it was devastating.

Olson and Scalia were basically playing lawyer games like they did back in law school. Like a moot court for elderly lawyers.


85 posted on 03/26/2013 8:34:28 PM PDT by EDINVA
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To: SeekAndFind; ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas; Gilbo_3; NFHale; Impy; AuntB; stephenjohnbanker; ...

Scalia is still the master of the court. The others use childish arguments in comparison to him. But he is a lone voice of such brilliant rational arguments.

The libs on the court demand a ‘public interest be stated’ that they find convincing, good luck with that.

Also Kagan defined the ban’s purpose as discriminating based on ‘orientation’. The big mistake by supporters of marriage was accepting this premise.

The scarey part is swing vote Kennedy asked a so called question if the well being of the CA kids whose parents are ‘gay’ should be considered in the decision, because those kids need ‘married’ parents.

Think about that one. gay parents.


86 posted on 03/26/2013 8:34:53 PM PDT by sickoflibs (To GOP : Any path to US citizenship IS putting them ahead in line. Stop lying about your position.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Pray, boys and girls. Dad will be home soon.


87 posted on 03/26/2013 8:53:39 PM PDT by RedHeeler
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To: SunkenCiv

I would take a sacred oath that there are leftists who are deliberately posing as “Republicans”, utilising the label as a means to infiltrate the party and destroy it from within, just as they’ve done with academia, the media, the military, and organised Christianity. All they have to do is co-opt the one real “opposition” party, and they own it all. Conservatives will be forever marginalised and pushed to the fringes of American life. Christian conservatives might as well be the Amish for all the voice or influence we will have on American politics, culture, education, the information stream, or any say in the future. It will be a miracle if we don’t have to fight the goernment to retain physical custody of our own children. The government is coming up with policies to get them at younger and younger ages in the guise of “early education”, controlling their nutrition, etc. They already are finding ways to keep them away from their parents for longer and longer periods.

I’m surprised that even as much as it has been interfered with, homeschooling for the most part has been left alone. I don’t believe that will last-there will be a battle over the rights of parents to educate their children as they see best. It’s already a fact in much of Europe, and leftists see European EU-style authoritarianism as a model.

May God keep Christian parents and their children until He comes! It feels wrong to even pray that, knowing the real persecution Cristians have been dealing with in so much of the world. But I pray it nonetheless for the sake of the remnant of true Christians trying to raise their children in the fear (respect) of the Lord in this decadent nation.


88 posted on 03/26/2013 9:24:40 PM PDT by mrsmel (One Who Can See)
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To: Hot Tabasco

I was meaning that he is now part of a permanent minority on the SC. I had no problem with his questions.


89 posted on 03/27/2013 4:20:40 AM PDT by Sans-Culotte ( Pray for Obama- Psalm 109:8)
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To: SeekAndFind

Here is the frustrating thing for me: This is not about homosexual marriage. This is about attempting to redefine marriage and its purpose.

If I were arguing this in front of the court I would make the case that is summed up in the following:

The reason marriage enjoys certain FedGov benefits is that it is in a country’s best interest to support the incubator which produces its citizens. This incubator is called a family. The goal is to have a family with a mother and father, each overtly doing their part to support the development of the children and “covertly” supplying the particular role model.

And regarding marriage, homosexuals have the exact same rights as everyone else.

That’s it. Pretty simple. And show me where homosexuals are discriminated against. You can’t because they are not. But you can try to twist it any way you want. A judge who deserves their seat on the bench will see through it.


90 posted on 03/27/2013 4:35:47 AM PDT by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
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To: lentulusgracchus

He was smarting off at Scalia, too — taunting him. Where did he get manners like that? From the new crowd he’s been hanging around with? It seemed awfully .... gay.


That is what I was noticing too. The attorney for Prop 8 was tongue tied, I thought, because he was trying to act respectful to a judges painfully idiotic questions. And that is not easy.


91 posted on 03/27/2013 4:38:42 AM PDT by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
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To: SomeCallMeTim

Not the governmental/ legal version. In fact exactly the opposite, the legal version of marriage exists in a large part to create the starting point of property distribution if said marriage is dissolved. The lifetime commitment thing is in the religious version of marriage, which is vastly different. It’s really unfortunate we use the same word for both, because they really are two different things, even if they often happen at the same time.


92 posted on 03/27/2013 8:15:48 AM PDT by discostu (Not just another moon faced assassin of joy.)
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To: sickoflibs; SeekAndFind; ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas; Gilbo_3; NFHale; Impy

” Scalia is still the master of the court.”

He sure is, and we need a few more like him.


93 posted on 03/27/2013 11:41:35 AM PDT by stephenjohnbanker
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To: sickoflibs

Because of gay “parents”, the single Octomom (remember her) could not be kept from getting artificially inseminated by the clinic she chose. Why? Because a couple of lesbians wanted to be “parents” so they applied to such a clinic, The clinic refused, so guess what? They went to a lawyer to sued the clinic. Of course the lesbians won and the clinic lost. From then one a clinic did not have the right to refuse artificial insemination to anyone. Brave New World.


94 posted on 03/27/2013 4:46:37 PM PDT by cradle of freedom (Long live the Republic !)
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To: SeekAndFind
I found this interesting website collection of textbooks from the 1800s. There was one, in particular, from 1836 about the Federal Government and government of New York, and a discussion of its laws, written for school children to learn about the rules of civil society.

Introduction to the science of government, and compend of constitutional and civil jurisprudence: comprehending a general view of the government of the United States, and of the government of the state of New York, together with the most important provisions in the constitutions of the several states.

See the following chapters:

Part Fifth
Chapter II. Of the Domestic Relations -- Husband and Wife

This chapter talks about the laws of marriage, and the responsibilities of husband and wife.

Chapter III. Parent and Child -- Infants -- Guardian and Ward -- Master and Apprentice -- Hired Servants

This chapter talks about the responsibilities that parents have towards raising their children, and when those responsibilities end.
The title page says that this book was "adapted to the purposes of instruction in families and schools."

"Marriage" was one of those things that people didn't need a definition of. This is what people taught their children about marriage and families.

-PJ

95 posted on 03/27/2013 5:02:25 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: mrsmel

Well said.


96 posted on 03/27/2013 6:35:04 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
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To: discostu
It’s really unfortunate we use the same word for both, because they really are two different things

Well... THAT's about the change.

And, no matter what you think... ROMANCE comes first, not property settlement.

97 posted on 03/28/2013 10:05:53 AM PDT by SomeCallMeTim ( The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them)
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To: SomeCallMeTim

ugh... the=to


98 posted on 03/28/2013 10:06:27 AM PDT by SomeCallMeTim ( The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them)
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To: SomeCallMeTim

Romance might come first, but it’s got nothing to do with the legal construct. The legal construct is about property management and distribution, and availability of certain legal benefits (and penalties, maybe when gays can marry the libs will fall out of love with the DINK tax).


99 posted on 03/28/2013 10:10:03 AM PDT by discostu (Not just another moon faced assassin of joy.)
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To: discostu

yea... I know. You’re right. You MUST be a lawyer.

I’m just a hopeless romantic.. and, “bible thumper”. :-)


100 posted on 03/28/2013 1:53:04 PM PDT by SomeCallMeTim ( The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them)
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