By L.A. Williams, Correspondent
Christian Action League
October 24, 2013
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gave up his fight to defend traditional marriage Monday after his state’s Supreme Court refused to prevent same-sex weddings while a ruling against the governor’s veto of gay marriage was appealed.
National Organization for Marriage (NOM) president Brian Brown said he was “extremely disappointed” that Christie was “effectively throwing in the towel on marriage.”
The N.J. Legislature approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage last year, which Christie vetoed, after which a trial-level judge ruled that the state had to allow gay marriage. Christie appealed, and the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case but would not stay the lower court ruling in the meantime, leading to Christie’s conclusion that “same-sex marriage is the law.”
“Although the governor strongly disagrees with the court substituting its judgment for the constitutional process of the elected branches or a vote of the people, the court has now spoken clearly as to their view of the New Jersey Constitution,” Michael Drewniak, Christie’s spokesman, told the media.
Meanwhile, the Tar Heel state is facing an upcoming suit over its Marriage Protection Amendment with little confidence in the Attorney General’s defense of North Carolina’s Constitution.
Although Tami Fitzgerald with the NC Values Coalition said Roy Cooper assured her two months ago that he would vigorously defend the Marriage Amendment, he has since announced his personal support for gay marriage and been confirmed as the keynote speaker for a fundraiser for the largest homosexual activist group in the state.
“Roy Cooper can’t have it both ways,” Fitzgerald said in a press release. “He is talking out of both sides of his mouth and has intentionally prejudiced and damaged the interests of his client — the people of North Carolina.”
The NC Values Coalition is calling on residents across the state to contact Gov. Pat McCrory, House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and ask them to intervene in the lawsuit to make sure the Marriage Amendment is effectively defended.
Fitzgerald pointed out that McCrory already has authority to defend state laws, and since last session’s passage of Senate Bill 473, so does the General Assembly.
“This was a bill the Christian Action League supported to ensure that lawmakers could step in if need be to defend the law of the land, and thank goodness, it passed,” said the Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League. “The whole reason 61 percent of voters approved the Marriage Amendment was to insulate our marriage laws from attack from homosexual activists. Who would have expected that the law would be undermined by the person elected and sworn by oath to defend it?”
