Judges Matter

Radio Commentary, WMVV 90.7 New Life FM, August 13, 2010
By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim. Since we now know who’ll be on the November ballot, you may want to take a break from politics. But don’t quit now. We’re not out of the woods, yet. The first week in August a federal judge overturned California’s ban on same-sex marriage. By doing that, he went against 52 percent of California voters who passed Proposition 8 in November 2008, just five months after the state Supreme Court had legalized gay marriage in California.

After hearing 13 days of testimony, including 18 witnesses that defended traditional marriage, U.S. District Judge Walker used 136 pages to explain why he thinks banning gay marriage violates the Constitution. Incidentally, Judge Walker is one of only three openly gay federal judges in the country. Since an appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court is imminent, gay marriage will not resume in California right now. Defenders of traditional marriage are expected to take the case to the court of appeals and it could wind up in the U.S. Supreme Court.

This situation in California emphasizes the importance of electing the right officials. When California’s governor and attorney general refused to defend Proposition 8 in court, they trampled traditional marriage and the will of the people. That left the defense of traditional marriage to an organization called “Protect Marriage” that got Proposition 8 passed in the first place and spent more money on that political campaign than on any social issue in U.S. history.

Now let’s apply that to Georgia. After Obama’s national healthcare passed, several states filed suit to protect their citizens from being forced to enroll in a national healthcare plan. When Governor Perdue directed Attorney General Baker to add Georgia to that lawsuit, Baker refused and the governor proceeded without him. So, here’s my question. If same-sex marriage were before a Georgia court, would our attorney general DEFEND traditional marriage or let the radicals win? Keep that in mind as you decide which candidate for attorney general deserves your vote in November. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.