Tag Archives: Federal Judge

US

Alabama lawmaker threatens to ‘out’ other lawmakers’ affairs

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Alabama’s first openly gay lawmaker has threatened to expose the adulterous behavior of other Alabama lawmakers after some fought the state’s decision to recognize same-sex marriage.

State Rep. Patricia Todd (D) sent out a warning over Facebook telling her colleagues, “I will not stand by and allow legislators to talk about ‘family values’ when they have affairs, and I know of many who are and have...I will call our elected officials who want to hide in the closet out.“

The post was made in response to other lawmakers in Alabama who spoke out against a federal court’s decision to overturn Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriage. Notably, House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R) called the ruling, “outrageous when a single unelected and unaccountable federal judge can overturn the will of millions of Alabamians who stand in firm support of the Sanctity of Marriage Act,” according to AL.

Hubbard also issued a statement following Todd’s Facebook post saying, “I consider Rep. Todd a friend, and we have always enjoyed a good and cordial relationship, so I am sorry that she is upset about my remarks.” The statement continued by saying Hubbard and Todd had a fundamental disagreement on the issue, but Hubbard wrote he wold not back down from his position.

During the weekend though, a request for a two-week stay on the ruling was granted by District Court Judge Callie Granade, according to the Huffington Post. This stay means any same-sex couples who wished to marry in Alabama will have to wait until at least Feb. 9. On that date, the court will have to make a decision whether to continue the stay on the ruling, or to uphold the court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.

Todd said according to various reports, her post was not made maliciously, but she “[does] not like hypocrites.” She has said if her colleagues want to defend the sanctity of “family values,” she expects those same colleagues to support those same values.

 

Election, Politics, US

Voter I.D. Laws Blocked in Wisconsin and Texas

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On Thursday, the United States Supreme Court blocked a law in Wisconsin, which would require voters to present photo IDs. This was originally put into place by a lower court, and would have effected the election in November.

The Huffington Post reported that the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals originally declared the law constitutional on Monday. However, on Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Advancement Project “filed an emergency request asking the Supreme Court to block the ruling.”

The Associate Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, Molly Collins, said the union is “thrilled that people are going to be able to vote in this election.”

According to Politico, the vote was 6-3, and the law was struck down on the grounds that it “discriminated against minorities by forcing many of them to get new identification.”

Although there were complaints that absentee ballots had been sent with no notification of the need for a photo ID, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen insisted that they “will be exploring alternatives to address the Court’s concern and have voter ID on Election Day.”

“I believe the voter ID law is constitutional, and nothing in the Court’s order suggests otherwise,” Van Hollen said.

The law requiring voter IDs in Wisconsin was originally passed in 2011. Similar laws have been passed in other states, including Virginia, where the State’s Board of Elections announced that approximately 100,000 voters might not be able to vote in the November elections, due to the fact that they do not have a valid photo ID.

While 34 states have passed laws requiring voters to have photo IDs, Wisconsin isn’t the only state making last minute changes.

Also on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, blocked the voter ID law in Texas, calling it an “unconstitutional poll tax,” and saying that its purpose was to discriminate against Hispanic and African-American citizens by creating “an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote.”

Following the federal judge’s decision, the Texas Attorney General’s office announced that it plans to appeal the decision immediately. The Deputy Communications Director, Laura Bean, said that the office will “urge the Fifth Circuit to resolve this matter quickly to avoid voter confusion in the upcoming election.”

“The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that voter ID laws are constitutional so we are confident the Texas law will be upheld on appeal,” Bean said.