No Quck Ruling in North Carolina Same-Sex Marriage Lawsuit

[rug]

By Jeffrey Collins and Gary D. Robertson, Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. — Aug 8, 2016, 2:58 PM ET

A federal judge seems inclined to let a legal challenge continue over North Carolina's law allowing magistrates to refuse to marry same-sex couples, but only if those suing can prove they have the right to file the legal action.

U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn didn't rule immediately after Monday's hearing in Asheville, but seemed concerned about two issues. On one hand, he said no one had directly proven they had been harmed by the law. But he also noted that court administrators apparently allow magistrates to keep their objections secret, so gay couples who appear before them on other matters wouldn't know about those objections.

Lawyers for the state want Cogburn to throw out the lawsuit. The judge said he found their arguments persuasive that gay couples couldn't say they were being harmed as taxpayers, since the law requires another magistrate to be brought in for gay marriage duties.

"Everybody can get married. And nobody is forced to marry anybody," said Cogburn, an appointee of President Barack Obama who was the first judge to strike down North Carolina's gay marriage law two years ago.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/north-carolinas-religious-objection-law-court-41197768

[guillaumeb]

1. What?

When the Judge said:

U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn didn't rule immediately after Monday's hearing in Asheville, but seemed concerned about two issues. On one hand, he said no one had directly proven they had been harmed by the law. But he also noted that court administrators apparently allow magistrates to keep their objections secret, so gay couples who appear before them on other matters wouldn't know about those objections.

How about the harm of realizing that public officials do not consider gay citizens to have the same rights as non-gay citizens?