Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell will not immediately enforce the Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage, stating Friday that his office "has found nothing in today's decision that makes the Court's order effective immediately."
Caldwell cited a 2004 vote to ban same-sex marriage in Louisiana's state constitution that passed "overwhelmingly" with 78% in favor as being in direct conflict with the court's ruling on Obergefell vs. Hodges:
This Supreme Court decision overturns the will of the people of Louisiana, and it takes away a right that should have been left to the states. Louisiana voters decided overwhelmingly to place in our constitution an amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. I fought to uphold Louisiana’s definition of traditional marriage, and I was the first attorney general in the nation to be successful at the federal court level.
Caldwell is not alone in believing that the Supreme Court has overstepped its bounds in making this ruling. The 5-4 decision on Friday garnered impassioned dissent from Justice Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts, both of whom bemoaned the process by which the court reached its landmark decision.
"The Attorney General's Office will be watching for the Court to issue a mandate or order making today's decision final and effective and will issue a statement when that occurs," Caldwell's office said.
He said he plans to uphold the state's constitution until such a mandate is issued.
"I am extremely disappointed by this decision. It fails to respect traditional marriage as defined by Louisiana voters, and is yet another example of the federal government intrusion into what should be a state issue," Caldwell continued.
Meanwhile, Nola.com reports that "Louisiana Clerks of Court Association is advising parish and city clerks to wait until the 25-day period for states to file an appeal of the Supreme Court ruling overturning bans on same-sex marriage."
It isn't clear how states with constitutional bans on same-sex marriage could legally handle their grievances, but Louisiana is not the only one to state them. Texas governor Greg Abbott issued a statement stressing that the "religious liberty" of Texans would be upheld no matter what. MsNewsNow reports that Mississippi will not yet honor the court's decision either.
So despite the historic ruling from the Supreme Court today, it seems that there are still hurdles to clear before the policy takes effect nationally.
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