Republican AGs reject Holder’s legal advice, vow to defend marriage
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 26, 2014 – The Obama administration's newest foray into the culture wars has sparked a major pushback by the nation's Republican attorneys general. In an interview with The New York Times on Monday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder advised state attorneys general that they could refuse to defend state bans on same-sex “marriage.” He compared the decision to not defend state bans with not defending Jim Crow laws in the 1950s South. On Tuesday, the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) slammed Holder's remarks. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox said, “What General Holder is asking state attorneys general to do is accept a gratuitously offered nonbinding legal opinion on an issue that has not been decided by a national court of competent jurisdiction at this time.” In other words, according to Fox, Holder is expressing his personal opinion on a matter that has not yet been decided by a court with ...