Illinois gay marriage bill clears first of many hurdles (Chicago: chapel, wedding)

[Maintainschaos]

Passed by the House and is expected to be passed back in the Senate tonight.

gay marrige Illinois - chicagotribune.com

[Nodpete]

Originally Posted by frostopsy

Seriously, what "rights" are you talking about? Rights cannot be taken away if they are not given. There is nothing in the Bill of Rights that guarantees marriage for anyone, straight or otherwise. I used to support gay marriage, or civil unions til the P.C. police and their bully tactics had me fed up with the way they were pushing the issue. In my opinion, it will open the flood gates of waste, fraud, and abuse, while only benefiting a small number of people. While we are one of the worst states to do business with, along with other "blue" states CA, NY, MA, we also rank number one in debt. Yet social issues are more important to Springfield than getting things fixed. And you wonder why people are leaving.

Exactly right !

[Chicago60614]

Yay!

[linicx]

Neither the Bill of Rights, or the U.S. Constitution, guarantees marriage. The entire spectrum of "Family" including marriage, annulment, divorce, separation, and common law marriage, is a Civil matter that is unique to each state. Therefore what is legal in Illinois may not be legal in Oklahoma, and cannot be forced upon Oklahoma.

To take this one step further Native American marriages that occur on federally recognized tribal lands is not bound by any state Civil Law. Nor can it be interfered with by state or federal officials. SSM may not be recognized by every tribe, either.

Originally Posted by frostopsy

Seriously, what "rights" are you talking about? Rights cannot be taken away if they are not given. There is nothing in the Bill of Rights that guarantees marriage for anyone, straight or otherwise. .

[Globe199]

I noticed the effective date is 1st June 2014. Why in god's name is it so far out?

[Unsettomati]

Originally Posted by linicx

Neither the Bill of Rights, or the U.S. Constitution, guarantees marriage. The entire spectrum of "Family" including marriage, annulment, divorce, separation, and common law marriage, is a Civil matter that is unique to each state. Therefore what is legal in Illinois may not be legal in Oklahoma, and cannot be forced upon Oklahoma.

To take this one step further Native American marriages that occur on federally recognized tribal lands is not bound by any state Civil Law. Nor can it be interfered with by state or federal officials. SSM may not be recognized by every tribe, either.

The United States Supreme Court disagrees with you - it has repeatedly declared that the right to marry is a civil right.

14 Supreme Court Cases: Marriage is a Fundamental Right | American Foundation for Equal Rights

Fourteen times since 1888, the United States Supreme Court has stated that marriage is a fundamental right of all individuals. In these cases, the Court has reaffirmed that “freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage” is “one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause,” “essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men,” and “sheltered by the Fourteenth Amendment against the State’s unwarranted usurpation, disregard, or disrespect.”

Given that marriage is a civil right, when the state wants to prohibit types of marriage it is incumbent upon the state to justify those prohibitions by demonstrating what compelling interest supercedes the right of an adult to marry another consenting adult.

And states are finding it impossible to come up with excuses that make any sense in the context of marriage as it exists today. Why do you think the United States Supreme Court punted in Hollingsworth v. Perry (2013) on a technicality? Because the conservative Justices knew there was no legally coherent argument to justify same-sex marriage bans, and they desperately wanted to avoid ruling on the issue, because they knew how the ruling would come out.

They won't be so lucky, having a convenient technicality, when Sevcik v. Sandoval is before them (probably during the 2014-2015) session.
Sevcik v. Sandoval - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[linicx]

I would argue that when the 14th Amendment was written SSM was unthinkable. I doubt the question of marriage even entered into the equation when it was written. The Wise Nine may take on the Nevada laws, but I would be surprised if they amend the 14th to include civil unions which are already recognized in all U.S. states, territories and possessions.

[linicx]

I should say add civil unions are supposed to be recognized in all states, but they are not. SCOTUS has repeatedly rejected hearing on the vast majority of civil case that does not usurp federal authority or interfere with it.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

I wonder how Downstate legislators voted. I wonder how many who voted "Yes" claim to be Catholic.

[linicx]

The largest block of sitting members live in Cook County. Boystown and Andersonville are LGBT communities in Cook County.