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Showing posts with the label John G. Heyburn II

Kentucky must recognize foreign gay ‘marriages’ at once, state AG may not defend law

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FRANKFORT, KY , February 27, 2014 – A federal judge refused to grant a stay to his ruling that Kentucky must recognize same-sex “marriages” conducted in other states, or foreign countries. That means the traditional, religious state must treat such unions as  bona fide  “marriages” at once. U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II   made the initial ruling on February 12 . On Thursday, he issued a final order striking down parts of a state law and a state constitutional marriage amendment supported by a wide majority of the voters. Judge John G. Heyburn II In 2004, 75 percent of the state's electorate approved a marriage protection amendment. Heyburn ruled that the measures “deny validly married same-sex couples equal recognition and benefits under Kentucky and federal law, those laws violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution , and they are void and unenforceable." A statewide  Bluegrass Poll  taken this

Judge’s ruling that Kentucky must recognize foreign gay ‘marriages’ may open door to polygamy

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LOUISVILLE, KY, February 12, 2014 ( LifeSiteNews.com ) – A federal judge ruled today that the state of Kentucky must recognize same-sex “marriages” conducted in other states, or even other countries. A legal expert warns the ruling could open the door to recognition of polygamous marriages contracted in foreign nations. Judge John G. Heyburn II U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II of the Western District of Kentucky ruled that, while the state did not have to conduct same-sex “marriages” itself, it must grant full marital benefits to couples who live in the state but had nuptials conducted elsewhere. In 2004, 75 percent of the state's electorate approved a marriage protection amendment. Four gay and lesbian couples brought the lawsuit. One of the couples, Gregory Bourke and Michael Deleon of Louisville, were “married” in Canada. Others received a marriage license in Iowa, Connecticut, and California. "If the decision is upheld, Kentucky will have to rec

Kentucky gay ‘marriage’ ruling may spell trouble for Mitch McConnell

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LOUISVILLE, KY , February 12, 2014  - A judicial ruling that  Kentucky must recognize same-sex "marriages" conducted in other nations  or U.S. states may spell more trouble for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell . U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II offered a strongly worded rebuke to tradition and religion on Wednesday, saying the state amendment -- which was approved by three-quarters of state voters -- "demeans" homosexuals. The Madison Project , a national grassroots organization that favors traditional marriage, noted that President George H.W. Bush appointed Heyburn to the bench in the early 1990s following a recommendation “from Senator Mitch McConnell who used him as a special counsel while serving as Judge Executive of Jefferson County in the early ‘80s. Thanks to McConnell, Kentucky is being subjected to the tyranny of the liberal agenda without a vote. ” (Emphasis in original.) The group, along with the Senate Conservatives F