Posted on 02/21/2014 9:03:10 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The Oregon Attorney General has refused to defend the state's constitutional amendment that defines marriage as being only between one man and one woman.
In a federal brief submitted Thursday, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum expressed her refusal to defend the amendment, which was passed by Oregon voters in 2004.
"Because we cannot identify a valid reason for the state to prevent the couples who have filed these lawsuits from marrying in Oregon, we find ourselves unable to stand before [U.S. District Court] Judge [Michael] McShane to defend the state's prohibition against marriages between two men or two women," stated Rosenblum.
"The equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution gives people the right to be treated equally by their government, unless there is a good reason for unequal treatment."
In November 2004, voters in Oregon passed a ballot initiative known as Oregon Marriage Measure 36, which added a marriage definition to the state constitution.
"It is the policy of Oregon, and its political subdivisions, that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or legally recognized as a marriage," read Measure 36, which passed with 56.63 percent of the vote.
Last year, four same-sex couples filed a lawsuit against the marriage amendment as part of the wave of lawsuits against various state marriage amendments across the United States.
As of February, Rosenblum is one of six attorneys general since 2012 who have refused to defend their state's marriage amendment in court.
She joins Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Mark Herring of Virginia, Kathleen Kane of Pennsylvania, Kamala D. Harris of California, and Lisa Madigan of Illinois.
Critics of these attorneys general have argued that they are not performing their sworn duties to defend their states' constitutions in court.
Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, released a statement Thursday denouncing Rosenblum's decision.
"Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is shamefully abandoning her constitutional duty to defend the marriage amendment overwhelmingly enacted by the people of Oregon. She swore an oath of office that she would enforce all the laws, not just those she personally agrees with," said Brown.
"Further, Ms. Rosenblum is dead-wrong in her conclusion that the amendment cannot be supported by rational legal arguments. Just last June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that regulating marriage is the purview of the states, not the federal government."
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia legally recognize same-sex marriages. Utah and Virginia are currently appealing court decisions that declared their bans unconstitutional.
It appears that Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum needs to be fired.
All of this is very dangerous for our society.
When the key keeper of the Law openly breaks the law you don’t get civil results.
It’s time for quick and severe impeachment. People like this man and Eric Holder have broken the law and - more importantly - the trust of the American society.
A trust that is the only thing that keeps us civil.
RE: When the key keeper of the Law openly breaks the law you don’t get civil results.
What I’d like to know is this — when the key keeper of the Law openly breaks the law, how can he be punished just like any other citizen?
What practical steps can be taken to accomplish that?
“Because we cannot identify a valid reason...”
Because you don’t want to. It’s nothing more than your own feelings entering into the equation.
And arrested.
And the answer is simple::
Oregon Residents should start filing “Abandonment of Client” complaints to the STATE BAR by the MILLIONS, Get the Bitch disbarred for life.
RE: It appears that Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum needs to be fired.
And arrested.
__________________
OK, now that we all agree on this, how can it be accomplished?
Who is going to do it?
I wrote “man” forgetting it is a woman. Either way, same thoughts.
Rats everywhere are lawless. The idea of common law is lost. Now the Rats only enforce the laws they want to and then only selectively.
RE: Oregon Residents should start filing “Abandonment of Client” complaints to the STATE BAR by the MILLIONS
That my friend, is the problem. Not many people give a whit about this issue. In fact, I’d go one further and say — not many people even know that this is happening.
Same thing happened in Virginia within the last few weeks. The court ruled that the constitutional amendment is unconstitutional. The residents of Virginia had no one to represent their interests.
Well... that would be Eric Holder.
Typifies what America has become...
Utterly lawless, and morally depraved.
With those two elements, I truly don’t expect America to survive much longer.
“Oregon Residents should start filing “Abandonment of Client” complaints to the STATE BAR by the MILLIONS, Get the Bitch disbarred for life.”
Yes, and a smart move.
The only thing that I can add is there are times when citizen justice becomes a natural thought. And her open and brazen illegality is how thoughts like that arise. Funny how that works.
People who accept a position like hers need to be asked very seriously if they are prepared to enforce laws that they are personally opposed to - simply because it is the Law. Hers is not a position of opinion.
She sickens me. She is a societal cancer.
In all of this silliness, no one has yet advanced an actually rational reason for equating such proposed eccentric relationships to what has constituted marriage throughout the civilized era. "Same-sex marriage," is something one expects to read about in Gulliver's return voyage to Laputa. To those operating with the proverbial "full deck," it is only an oxymoron.
William Flax
Brings back memories of CA and Prop 8. Why aren’t these elected bufoons thrown out of office or at a min impeached?
Same thing happened in Virginia within the last few weeks. The court ruled that the constitutional amendment is unconstitutional. The residents of Virginia had no one to represent their interests.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The ‘shame’ of it is that in 3 elections the R’s basically folded their hand and went home...A recount for AG had the D get to a smallish lead, they caved and accepted defeat.
The replacement special vote in Loudon County had been called ‘to close to call’, a recount started, R’s caved early, same in the Norfolk area where one day it was to close to call, the next the R caved....
We lose the Governorship by a small handful -which votes basically went to the phony Libertarian - WHO the National Libertarian Party(????) was asking ‘who is this guy’? and it turns out some billionaire from TX was backing the LIB.
Back during the Bush/Gore debacle, the LIBs basically said the BIG money was going for LIB AG’s in all the states, not really worrying about the Gov or LT Gov...
But that is the Stalin mind set...Voting doesn’t bother me, I just want to be the vote counter.
This D controlled Senate has already beaten down a couple of Gun Rights Bills that were NOT radical, just common sense, such as VA would recognize ALL other states CC Permits providing the Holder was 18....(3 of the states on the list have automatic reciprocity laws)...
Going to be a long couple of years here....
Got either shelved or outright defeated...
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