the legality of same-sex marriage is actively being threatened in the united states. two days ago, the court refused to hear a case about a kentucky clerk who refused to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple. within a few hours of this decision, conservative justices clarence thomas and samuel alito both repeated the statement they made when same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015, claiming that legalizing same-sex marriage entailed “ruinous consequences for religious liberty.” they claim that the clerk (who got fired, sued, and jailed) was “one of the first victims of this court’s cavalier treatment of religion in its obergefell decision, [and] will not be the last.”
supreme court justice nominee amy coney barrett agreed with the statement and has expressed her lack of support for same-sex marriage numerous times in the past. chief justice john roberts, as well as trump appointees brett kavanaugh and neil gorsuch “have all been staunch supporters of robust religious rights, de-emphasizing the concept of separation between church and state, and emphasizing the importance of the free exercise of religion. if barrett is confimed, the court will have a 6-3 conservative majority, and “only three of the justices who comprised the court’s 5-4 majority in the obergefell ruling still serve on the bench.”
on november 4, 2020, the day after the elections, the court is due to hear a case about philadelphia’s refusal to place foster children in the care of a catholic institution that blocks same-sex couples from being foster parents.
with the united states senate starting to get crippled as a result of a covid-19 outbreak in washington, dc, as well as the time required to confirm a supreme court justice, barrett may not be confirmed until after the election has occurred.
however, please take the time call your senators and urge them to postpone the hearing and confirmation vote until after the election, or until the new congress is sworn in in january of next year.
register to vote if you haven’t already and urge your friends and family to do the same. if you have, confirm that you have been registered. if barrett’s confirmation gets postponed, a democratic majority will be necessary to ensure that she does not become a justice. here is a list of vulnerable senators and their home states.
if voting by mail, send your ballots as early as possible, as it takes up to 14 days for the ballots to reach their destination and be counted. if you send your ballots too late, they won’t be counted.
here’s a carrd that has more information about voter registration, important dates to remember, and how to get involved even if you aren’t old enough to vote yet.