Excerpts from a report by John Jessup:
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — As a Vietnam War veteran, Roy Moore is no stranger to a fight. But today he’s engaged in a battle of a different kind – one being waged in the courts.
Moore, Alabama’s Supreme Court Chief Justice, is an ardent and outspoken supporter of traditional marriage.
His latest move stirred the debate into a frenzy, when he ordered Alabama’s probate judges to stop granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples after U.S. District Court Judge Callie Granade struck down the state’s constitutional amendment upholding traditional marriage and preventing gays from taking their vows.
The measure, known as the Sanctity of Marriage Amendment, which defines marriage as an “inherently” and “unique” “sacred covenant” between a man and a woman, was approved by 81 percent of the state’s voters in 2006.
“To me it boils down to the simple fact that federal courts across this land have mandated their will, unlawfully, over the people of the states,” he told CBN News in an exclusive interview at his office. “Thirty-seven states didn’t legalize [same-sex marriage]. Federal courts came in and mandated they accept this.”
The conflicting orders put the state front and center in the national debate over marriage, making Alabama the first state to defy a federal judge’s ruling on the issue.
…
“No federal court, to include the U.S. Supreme Court, has authority to go into the Constitution and define the word marriage. Marriage was defined long before our country began,” he told CBN News.
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