PushBack Politics - Live Political Blog
Rob Reiner on the legality of gay marriage
“If you look at it just from a legal standpoint there is nothing to argue. You can argue from a moral standpoint. You can say, ‘morally, I don’t like the idea of gay marriage’ because your church teaches you a certain thing. That’s fine. And we’re not asking anybody, or forcing churches to perform ceremonies. We’re not asking anybody to go outside of their religious beliefs. But marriage is not a religious right. It is a civil right. That is provided by the government. A church does not have a right to marry someone—except that it is given the right by the government. The government issues marriage licenses. The government decides who gets married and who doesn’t.” (via C-SPAN)
North Dakota governor approves 6-week abortion ban
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple has signed legislation that would ban most abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected, something that can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. The Republican governor also signed into law another measure that would makes North Dakota the first to ban abortions based on genetic defects such as Down syndrome. AP
Supreme Court appears split on Prop. 8, broad gay marriage ruling
The Supreme Court justices sounded closely split on gay marriage Tuesday, but Justice Anthony M. Kennedy suggested the court should strike down California’s ban on same-sex marriage without ruling broadly on the issue. Twice during the oral argument, Kennedy questioned why the court had voted to hear the California case. “I wonder if this case was properly granted,” Kennedy said at one point. His comments suggested that the court’s four most conservative justices voted to hear the California case. Had the justices turned down the appeal, as Kennedy suggested, Proposition 8 would have been struck down on the grounds of a narrow ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Kennedy is likely to have the support of the court’s four liberal justices when they meet later this week to decide the California case. They could decide to write an opinion that strikes down the California ballot measure on the grounds that it denies same-sex couples a right to marry. Or they could vote to dismiss the appeal, which also would have the effect of voiding Prop. 8. On several occasions, Kennedy and other justices said they were wary of ruling broadly in a way that would make gay [...]
Cyprus Banks Closed Until Thursday
Cyprus’s central bank announced Monday night that its banks will not reopen on Tuesday as originally planned. Officials said the banks will instead remain closed an extra two days until Thursday. The announcement came after Cyprus struck a predawn bailout deal in order to evade bankruptcy for the country. As part of the deal, however, President Nicos Anastasiades announced that the nation’s second-largest bank, Cyprus Popular, will be shut down and that big depositors will be inflicted with heavy losses. reuters
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