UPDATE: 3/7/2016
All of you know by now that this story is very outdated in such a short period. Five of Nine judges decided this issue for the entire country. This will turn out to be the final straw to break the USA’s back. All of our other problems will stem from the “Big Three” that have occurred since 1962. Of course, our fall started as a ripple long ago. Now, we are facing a tidal wave.
CR
“A county judge in Arkansas struck down his state’s constitutional bans on gay marriage, saying in a ruling Friday night that they did not advance “any conceivable legitimate state interest.”
“In finding the ban unconstitutional, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Christopher Piazza cited the series of federal court rulings, including those in Utah and Virginia, that have been issued since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. That landmark ruling has led to a spate of lawsuits in about a dozen states seeking to topple bans on same-sex marriage.
“Same-sex couples are a morally disliked minority and the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages is driven by animus rather than a rational basis,” Piazza wrote. “This violates the United States Constitution.”
“The judge did not issue a stay, meaning same-sex marriages could begin as soon as county clerks next open their doors. However, Arkansas Atty. Gen. Dustin McDaniel plans to ask for a stay and immediately appeal to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which has initial jurisdiction on all county circuit appeals.
“We respect the court’s decision, but, in keeping with the attorney general’s obligation to defend the state constitution, we will appeal,” spokesman Aaron Sadler said. “We will request that Judge Piazza issue a stay of his ruling so as not to create confusion or uncertainty about the law while the Supreme Court considers the matter.”
“Piazza’s ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by 12 same-sex couples who sought to wed in Arkansas and eight same-sex couples who had legally married in other states. They had been barred from either receiving marriage licenses or having their marriages recognized because of a 1997 law approved by lawmakers and a 2004 voter-approved amendment to the state constitution.”
This is a portion of a story that you can read HERE.
So…what has happened? Putting a couple of new sources together, I’m still trying to understand it all.
Last Friday, Arkansas’ Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza made a ruling that removed a 10-year-old constitutional amendment overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2004 banning gay marriage. His ruling also overturned a 1997 state law banning gay marriage. The results: 15 couples were issued same-sex marriage licenses yesterday in northwest Arkansas.
One judge opened a can of worms. Since he didn’t issue a stay, Arkansas’ 75 county clerks were left to decide for themselves whether to grant marriage licenses.
This ruling comes about a week after Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel became the first statewide official in Arkansas to back same-sex marriage. He said that he supported allowing same-sex couples to wed. At the same time he stated that he will continue defending his state’s 2004 ban on gay marriages in court.
What a mess. So, the State’s Attorney General will have to fight the judge’s decision although he agrees with it.
“They” (those who are trying to override the will of the people) really timed this whole thing well…FOR THEM. A single judge commits judicial tyranny on Friday and marriage licenses are granted the next day before those who are supposed to uphold the state constitution have an opportunity to stop it before it’s out of the box. Those who are familiar with Arkansas news know that the story will not really get any traction until Monday. The only matter local Arkansas channels stay on top of on weekends is dangerous weather.
This story is still developing and I intend to stay on top of it here. I have no confidence in our state Supreme Court. If the matter winds up there, we are surely in trouble. My assessment is based on the 2008 7-0 decision, overruling the will of the people, to allow homosexuals to foster and adopt children.
The “weather” is becoming very dangerous in Arkansas.
cr
Quick update: It’s Monday morning in Arkansas and they were discussing this issue on the morning news. At this point, I seem to have my facts straight.
Wings of the Wind 
My heart sank when i heard the news from your state. Like everywhere else the peoples intent means absolutely nothing. What can we expect from a secular godless secular society.
It used to be that when people vote it became the law. Somewhere along the line somebody changed the rules back to King George and his monarchy. Welcome to America where every activist Judge is a king, Sounds like more of take from the majority to give to the minority. I think we need another revolution.
Mine did too, Manny. It is such a dichotomy. Here we are heading in the direction of SSM and are the third most pro-life state in the nation. I enjoy the beauty of the state in which I live, but I am also realizing that it is battleground of ideas; a clash of “Bible belters” and, as you have stated, those who want a godless secular society. At this point, the godless appear to be winning. I think it’s a good possibility that the next large revolution will be worldwide. Isn’t it nice that we know the end of the story which is the beginning of forever for us? Praise God!
God’s blessings my friend…
P.S. Sorry I’ve been awol for a while. I’ve been busy with work lately.
Hi Chris, this is very upsetting.
Sorry I have been absent for quite a while as well, life just happens.
I agree these are very bewildering times, to say the least. As you have pointed out, one the one hand we have a great deal of light in Arkansas, but also a great deal of mounting challenges in return. Seems as tho when we win even a small taste of victory, the devil wastes no time in trying to darken our faith once more.
But we can’t let him win, right?
If I may offer, Chris, the bishop of Little Rock issued a statement today on this matter, a partial is below. Our state may be full of ‘bible belters’ of which consist of varying denominations, but we all agree with St Paul’s instruction and warning about homosexual relations being an affront to God and a harm to society at large.
anyway, I thought I would pass along one more voice crying for ‘reason and charity with clarity’ on same sex “marriage.”
one can read the whole thing here: http://www.dolr.org/bishop/statement_may122014.php
[…]”The Diocese of Little Rock is in the process of preparing an amicus curiae brief (Latin term meaning “friend of the court,” a brief filed with the court by someone who is not a party to the case) to counter the flawed reasoning and conclusions in civil law contained in Judge Piazza’s ruling, in particular to show how Act 144 of 1997 of the Arkansas General Assembly and Amendment 83 to the Arkansas Constitution do not violate the Equal Protection Clause, the Establishment Clause, or the Arkansas Constitution’s Declaration of Rights.
Our defense of traditional marriage is rooted in natural law and in values held in common through the ages independent of religious conviction, including but not limited to the complementarity of the sexes, the need for procreation, and the stable family as a building block of society. In other words, far from being an attempt to impose religiously-inspired morality on the rest of society, the defense of traditional marriage is a defense of the fundamental morality on which society is based. This is not a civil rights issue, as some would construe it—it is a matter of the fundamental building blocks of our society. In no way, however, should our defense of marriage be construed as lacking in concern for the genuine well-being of all people, including homosexuals.” Anthony B. Taylor, Bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock
(I wish I could be in the room when they are discussing the arguments in this letter) 🙂
blessings to you and your family, Chris
Hi Kassey.
It is so good to hear from you. I couldn’t agree more with Bishop Taylor. Our foundations are crumbling and we must speak out. The first gay professional NFL player was recently drafted and those who spoke out against it were silenced. One was fined, forced to apologize, and has to take some sort of classes to correct his thinking. He said nothing crude as far as I can tell.
The devil seems to be having his day in the sun, but it will be short-lived. He will not win. In the end, we will crown our Savior Lord of all!
Thank you for sharing the link. I’ll get to that soon and will also get to your blog to comment on your last post. My sister had a parakeet when I was a kid so I know how entertaining they can be.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Always appreciated. Thank you for your kind words and may God richly bless you and your family as well…
Chris,
I agree and thank you for being brave and standing up to what is going on these days.
Deb
Hi Deborah,
I haven’t been checking the blog that much lately mostly because of my job. However, I am aware of the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to leave many of these decisions in the hands of individual states. The forecast, from what I understand, is that it won’t be long before gay marriage will be legal in the majority of the states. It is remarkable to me how little the media has covered this story. The cover story of Time magazine for September, something I saw and read in a public school, speaks volumes to how far we’ve gone in the godless direction. My prayer is that God would open the minds and hearts of all of those who are lost including those who are lost in sexual bondage.
Thanks for your comment.
God’s blessings…
Thank you for your response and your prayers for this country of ours. I look forward to any blogs or emails you would like to share!
I understand about your job, believe me! I travel for a living, no time for anything.
God’s blessings to you as well,
Deb