Politics
Friday January 20, 2006
Maryland Judge Strikes Down State Law Banning Homosexual 'Marriage'
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By John-Henry Westen
BALTIMORE, January 20, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a ruling issued today, Judge M. Brooke Murdock struck down Maryland's 1973 law prohibiting homosexual 'marriage'. Commenting on the activist nature of the judge, Maryland Senate President Thomas Miller, a Democrat, accused the ACLU and the homosexual activists it represented in the case of shopping-around for a willing judge. "I don't think the same opinion would have been rendered in 90 percent of the other circuits in the state of Maryland," he said.
"There is no apparent compelling state interest in a statutory prohibition of same-sex marriage discriminating, on the basis of sex, against those individuals whose gender is identical to their intended spouses," wrote Murdock in her ruling. "Indeed, this Court is unable to even find that the prohibition of same-sex marriage rationally relates to a legitimate state interest."
Four more times in the ruling, Murdoch indicated that the only "rational" position was to strike down the law which holds marriage to be the union of one man and one woman. Murdock was not moved by testimony indicating that children need a mother and a father. She said, she was "unable to find that preventing same-sex marriage rationally relates to the Maryland's interest in promoting the best interests of children."
An appeal is being considered by Governor Robert Ehrlich's legal team.
To express concerns:
Honorable M. Brooke Murdock
Eighth Judicial Circuit, Baltimore City
600 Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr Courthouse
100 N. Calvert Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
(410)545-0115
See the full ruling online (in pdf) here:
http://www.baltocts.state.md.us/civil/highlighted_trials/Memorandum.pdf
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- "Manhattan Declaration" Embodies U.S. Christian Pushback against Abortion, Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Hoffman Loses Final Tally of NY-23 Race; Alleges ACORN Tampering and Fraud
- Abortion Activist Judge Hamilton Confirmed with Help of Ten Republican Senators
- CDC Reverses Gardasil Vaccine Requirement for Immigrants
- Germany Faces Economic Downturn with Plummeting Birth Rate and Aging Population
- CCHD in Archdiocese of Chicago Says it is Working to Fix Problems
- Rejection of Washington DC Marriage Referendum Challenged With Legal Suit
- Obama-Supporting Homosexual Activist to Out Sexually Involved Priests Unless they Support Gay 'Marriage
- Austrian Catholic Bishops Issue Bland Response to Govt's Homosexual Partnership Bill
- Interim Report on Catholic Sex-Abuse Says "Homosexual Identity" Not a Predictor of Sex Abuse
- Commentary on Nov 20 NewsBytes
- LSN NewsBytes - US Health Care Reform
- LSN NewsBytes - Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)
- LSN NewsBytes - Life Issues, Religion, Swine Flu, US Politics, Sarah Palin, Miscellaneous
- LSN NewsBytes - Climate Change/Global Warming
- 59 Bishops Contributed Financially to Maine Bishop's Effort to Oppose Maine Same-Sex "Marriage" Law
- Pro-Abortion Lawmakers Shower Praise on Senate Bill's Phony Abortion Compromise
Most Read this Week
- Largest U.S. Homosexual Publisher Shuts Down, Closing Major Gay Newspapers
- EWTN's Arroyo Hosts Reform CCHD Reps Who Reveal Shocking Evidence Against USCCB Anti-Poverty Arm
- Italian Mayors Order Crufixes Put in Classrooms in Revolt against European Court Ruling
- Nat'l Organization for Marriage Responds to Miss California "Sex Tape" Scandal
- Obama Evades Questioning on Stupak Amendment in FOX Interview
- "Manhattan Declaration" Embodies U.S. Christian Pushback against Abortion, Same-Sex "Marriage"
- French Judge Finds Hospital Guilty of "Unreasonable Obstinacy" in Saving Newborn's Life
- EU Leaders to Choose President today in Secret "Soviet Style" Meetings
- Hoffman "Unconcedes" Battle for NY-23: Recount Provides Hope for "Miracle" Victory
- CCHD Responds to Reform Movement
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.