Family Council Says Ruling Terribly Wrong

Marriage,

In case you missed it: Below is our press release from Friday regarding Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza’s ruling striking the Arkansas Marriage Amendment from the Arkansas Constitution.

Little Rock – On Friday, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza released his decision striking down Arkansas Constitutional Amendment 83 which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Family Council President Jerry Cox said, “Something is terribly wrong when a judge can overturn a good law that was passed in a statewide election by 75% of the people. This is another example of a judge substituting his personal preference for the will of the people.”

Amendment 83 passed with 75% of the vote in November 2004 after the Arkansas Marriage Amendment Committee gathered over 200,000 petition signatures to place the measure on the ballot for a statewide vote.

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Chick-fil-A Trading Integrity for Profitability

Current Events, Marriage, , ,

Recently, Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy told an interviewer he regrets his company’s pro-marriage stance it took two years ago.

Calling the decision to support traditional marriage “a mistake,” Cathy indicated Chick-fil-A’s priority going forward would be courting a new generation of consumers–one who, if you read between the lines, he must feel supports same-sex marriage.

In a move that’s sure to offend both sides, Cathy said that while his personal views on same-sex marriage have not changed, he does not intend to take a public stance on the issue. To put it another way, gay activists who have been boycotting Chick-fil-A have every reason to continue doing so, and conservatives who celebrated Chick-fil-A for their courageous stance for traditional marriage may decide they would just as soon take their business to Popeyes or KFC.

This back-peddling from Mr. Cathy is incredibly disappointing, and it betrays a failure to grasp the significance of Chick-fil-A’s actions these past few years.

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Supreme Court Refuses to Hear NM Photographer’s Appeal

Marriage, Religious Freedom, , , ,

An appeal from a New Mexico photographer sued for refusing to photograph a same-sex “commitment ceremony” will not be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Elane Photography appealed to the court after a lower court ruling left Elaine Huguenin with hefty fines for refusing to compromise her religious beliefs.

Recent polling has shown as many as 85% of Americans believe photographers should be free to decline photographing a same-sex wedding.

From Alliance Defending Freedom:

The U.S. Supreme Court Monday declined to hear Elane Photography v. Willock, the case of a photographer who was told by the New Mexico Supreme Court that she must, as “the price of citizenship,” use her creative talents to communicate a message with which she disagrees or suffer punishment.

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“Only unjust laws separate what people say from what they believe,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence. “The First Amendment protects our freedom to speak or not speak on any issue without fear of punishment. We had hoped the U.S. Supreme Court would use this case to affirm this basic constitutional principle; however, the court will likely have several more opportunities to do just that in other cases of ours that are working their way through the court system.”

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