Homosexual "marriage" may be on life support -- so says a Christian attorney in reaction to today's ruling by Oregon's highest court that invalidates thousands of marriage licenses handed out in one county last year.
Upwards of 3,000 homosexual couples who thought they were legally married were told by the Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday morning that they aren't. The high court has nullified marriage licenses that were issued to same-sex couples in Multnomah County over a six-week period beginning last April. The county had no authority to do so, said the court, explaining that while a county can question the constitutionality of law concerning marriage, the laws are a matter of statewide concern.
The court noted that the citizens of the state approved a constitutional amendment in November limiting marriage to one man and one woman -- but that even before that, state law put the same limits on marriage.
"Today, marriage in Oregon -- an institution once limited to opposite-sex couples only by statute -- now is so limited by the state Constitution as well," the court stated in its ruling. "We conclude that Oregon law currently places the regulation of marriage exclusively within the province of the state's legislative power."
That latter statement effectively leaves the door open for state legislators to draft legislation legalizing an alternative to same-sex marriages, such as civil unions.
I wouldn't have guessed that Oregon would be a place where traditional marriage would be upheld by the courts, but hey, we'll take wins wherever we can get them.
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