Man Booted Off Flight After Confronting Texas Governor On Marriage Stance

Via the Austin American-Statesman:

As he was waiting with family and staff to board a flight back to Austin on Tuesday night after two days promoting Texas in New York City, Gov. Greg Abbott was approached by another passenger who shook his hand and then loudly and profanely expressed his unhappiness with the governor’s opposition to gay marriage. “I hope you … go to hell because of your stance on gay marriage,” the man told the governor, using an epithet for emphasis, according to Abbott communications director Matt Hirsch, who was with the governor. The man, identified only as a 32-year-old male by Port Authority police, was asked to step back by Texas state troopers traveling with the governor.

As he walked away, Hirsch said the man, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, directed a parting shot at the governor: “I’m going to see you on the plane.” As it happened, he didn’t. After the tense scene — which was loud enough to be apparent to the crowd of passengers awaiting Jet Blue’s last flight of the day from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport — Jet Blue security told the man he wouldn’t be flying back to Austin on Tuesday night but would be put on the first flight back Wednesday morning. He was given a hotel room for the night, Hirsch said

The passenger was not arrested. Abbott later expressed his gratitude to airport officials.

TEXAS: Gov. Greg Abbott Issues "Religious Liberty" Directive To Protect Anti-Gay State Staffers From "Adverse Action"

Via Talking Points Memo:

Following the ruling, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued a directive on Friday ordering state agencies to "prioritize compliance" with the First Amendment and Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The directive states that agencies should make sure that nobody "takes any adverse action against" people "substantially motivated by sincere religious belief."

"The law protects religious liberty not only in houses of worship—but also in schools, in businesses, in the military, in public forums, and in the town square. These protections are afforded to all people, of all faiths," Abbott wrote in the directive. "Yet in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, the law’s promise of religious liberty will be tested by some who seek to silence and marginalize those whose conscience will not allow them to participate in or endorse marriages that are incompatible with their religious beliefs."

In a statement blasting the Supreme Court's decision earlier on Friday, Abbott said that he would take direct action to protect the religious liberties of Texas residents. "As I have done in the past, I will continue to defend the religious liberties of all Texans—including those whose conscience dictates that marriage is only the union of one man and one woman. Later today, I will be issuing a directive to state agencies instructing them to prioritize the protection of Texans’ religious liberties," he said in a statement.

Marriage licenses are being issued in many Texas counties. 

Read the full directive.

TEXAS: Gov. Greg Abbott Rejects Special Session To Continue Marriage Battle

Via San Antonio's WOAI:

Social conservative groups, including the Texas Eagle Forum, Texas Values, and a group called Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, specifically want Abbott to recall lawmakers to consider a bill that would prohibit county clerks from issuing same sex marriage licenses. A 1980 U.S. Supreme Court case, Harris v. McRae, held that states cannot be required to spend state money enforcing a federal mandate, in that case abortion. But Abbott says it won't happen. "I do not anticipate any special session," he told News Radio 1200 WOAI. "They got their job done on time, and don't require any overtime." Under Texas law, only the governor can call the Legislature into special session, and only to discuss the items the governor specifically places on the agenda.

Jonathan Saenz will be ever so pissed.

TEXAS: "Defy SCOTUS" Bill Might See New Life Today In State House Vote

Via the Dallas Voice:

Texas state Rep. Cecil Bell, R-Magnolia, intends to attach an amendment similar to his previous bill barring the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples to a bill protecting clergy from being forced to perform same-sex marriages during a House floor vote on Thursday, May 21. Bell filed HB 4105, also known as “The Preservation and Sovereignty of Marriage Act,” ahead of an anticipated summer Supreme Court ruling legalizing marriage equality. It would have withheld pay from county clerks issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. After its defeat last week, Bell told reporters he wasn’t giving up on it. Though an amendment must be considered germane to a bill, Equality Texas reports that Bell intends to attach HB 4105 to SB 2065, which passed the Senate last week on a 21-10 vote with all Republicans and one Democrat voting for it. While HB 4105 died before it could get a vote, it garnered support from the majority of the House HOP caucus.

Even if Bell's amendment is not attached to SB 2065 today, its passage could mean that clergy who also work for the state as justice of the peace or county clerk could refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses or officiate those weddings. Reporter Chuck Lindell will be covering the proceedings on Twitter and a live-stream of the voting will be here.

TEXAS: State Claims To Be Surprised By Request To Lift Marriage Stay

Via the Houston Chronicle:

Texas officials want a federal judge to uphold the state's same-sex marriage ban, calling a request by gay couples to be allowed to immediately marry "untimely" and "out of order." "The plaintiffs offer no explanation for why they waited so long to file their motion,"Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote in a court document filed Tuesday. "They should not be rewarded for lying behind the log and springing this challenge on the Court and the State at the eleventh hour, demanding immediate relief." U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia of San Antonio in February ruled Texas' gay marriage ban unconstitutional, but issued a stay on allowing gay couples to immediately wed during the appeals process. Abbott has appealed the ruling to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. On Monday, the two same-sex couples challenging the ban filed a motion asking Garcia to lift the stay. Abbott, the governor-elect, however, said the plaintiffs should be forced to wait until the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hears the Texas and Louisiana cases on Jan. 9: "Modifying the preliminary-injunction order to remove the stay would interfere with the Fifth Circuit's appellate jurisdiction."

Lying behind the log? Read the full filing. (Tipped by JMG reader Rob)

TEXAS: Anti-Gay AG Greg Abbott Beats Wendy Davis In Gubernatorial Race

Davis' support for abortion rights made her public enemy #1 in Teabagistan.  Celebrations are erupting on Twitter.

Texas AG Greg Abbott To Fifth Circuit: Gay Marriage Will Lead To Fewer Babies

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has filed a reply brief to the Fifth Circuit Court in which he declares that same-sex marriage will lead to straight couples having fewer babies. Via the Houston Chronicle:

The new filing largely reiterated the same “responsible procreation” argument Abbott made in July, when the state first appealed a a February district court’s ruling overturning the Texas gay marriage ban. In it, Abbott argued marriage among heterosexual partners is more beneficial to society because it encourages married couples to have children and provides an example for other couples to do the same. “First, Texas’s marriage laws are rationally related to the State’s interest in encouraging couples to produce new offspring, which are needed to ensure economic growth and the survival of the human race,” Abbott wrote.

He added, “Second, Texas’s marriage laws are rationally related to the State’s interest in reducing unplanned out-of-wedlock births. By channeling procreative heterosexual intercourse into marriage, Texas’s marriage laws reduce unplanned out-of-wedlock births and the costs that those births impose on society. Recognizing same-sex marriage does not advance this interest because same-sex unions do not result in pregnancy.” In the brief, Abbott concedes that same-sex marriage might have some positive effects for society, like increasing household wealth and adoptions or providing a more stable environment for children raised by gay couples. While there might be benefits, however, he said it’s for the Legislature, not the courts, to decide whether to expand the right to marry.

Read the full brief.

TEXAS: AG Greg Abbott Files Marriage Ban Overturn Appeal With Fifth Circuit Court, Uses Tired Procreation Argument

Via the American-Statesmen:

Back in court to defend Texas’ ban on gay marriage, Attorney General Greg Abbott is arguing that the restriction is designed to promote responsible procreation, not to demean same-sex couples — a tactic that has already been rejected by two federal appeals courts. Nonetheless, Abbott relies heavily on the argument as Texas prepares to defend the ban at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is populated by judges that are considered to be far more conservative than most other federal appeals courts. “By recognizing and encouraging the lifelong commitment between a man and woman — even when they do not produce offspring — the state encourages others who will procreate to enter into the marriage relationship,” Abbott said in the state’s first brief, filed late Monday at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Promoting opposite-sex marriages “increases the likelihood that children will be born into stable environments where they are raised by their mother and their father,” Abbott argued. Such family structures are good for the children’s well being and good for the state because they increase the likelihood that parents, not society, “will bear the cost of raising these children,” the brief said.

Read the full brief. (Tipped by JMG reader TJ)

TEXAS: Greg Abbott And Wendy Davis Easily Win Gubernatorial Primaries

Anti-gay GOP Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis today both coasted to easy wins in their respective primary bids to succeed Gov. Rick Perry.

Abbott clinched the Republican nomination for governor and Davis locked up her party's selection, thereby making official a showdown poised to become a record-shattering arm's race of fundraising in a Texas gubernatorial election. In another sign of a rightward drift, state Sen. Dan Patrick, who drew heat from even fellow Republicans for bemoaning an "invasion" of immigrants coming across the Texas-Mexico border, appeared headed for a runoff in the lieutenant governor's race with longtime incumbent David Dewhurst.

Democrats set on breaking the nation's longest losing streak in races for statewide office, meanwhile, hoped a charismatic headliner in Davis would turn out long-dormant voters. Davis, who catapulting to national political stardom last summer with a nearly 13-hour filibuster over abortion restrictions, is the first female gubernatorial nominee in Texas since Ann Richards in 1994. Her underdog campaign has raised $16 million so far behind a whopping 91,000 individual donors and big checks from abortion-rights groups.

 Davis endorsed marriage equality last month.

Texas AG Greg Abbott: I Will Appeal

"This is an issue on which there are good, well-meaning people on both sides. And, as the lower court acknowledged today, it’s an issue that will ultimately be resolved by a higher court. Texas will begin that process by appealing today’s ruling to the Fifth Circuit. Because the judge has stayed his own decision, his ruling has no immediate practical effect. Instead, the ultimate decision about Texas law will be made by the Court of Appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled over and over again that States have the authority to define and regulate marriage. The Texas Constitution defines marriage as between one man and one woman. If the Fifth Circuit honors those precedents, then today’s decision should be overturned and the Texas Constitution will be upheld." - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is running for governor.

Ted Nugent: I'm A Gay Pirate

Raw Story reports:

Responding to criticism from CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about his use of Nazi rhetoric when talking about President Barack Obama, rocker Ted Nugent lashed back at Blitzer today stating that, if Wolf Blitzer is a journalist, he is a ‘gay pirate from Cuba.’ According to Oliver Willis at Media Matters, Nugent is denying that he has a history of making bigoted and misogynistic comments, stating: “All the negative stuff is dishonest, all the really wonderful stuff is accurate.” Nugent has become the focus of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s campaign for governor in the past few days due to his colorful history and statements.

Last month Nugent called President Obama a "subhuman mongrel" and a "chimpanzee." Which is totally not racist.

TEXAS: Wendy Davis Endorses Marriage

Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis today endorsed same-sex marriage and called on her election opponent, Texas AG Greg Abbott, to stop defending the state's ban.

“It's my strong belief that when people love each other and are desirous of creating a committed relationship with each other that they should be allowed to marry, regardless of their sexual orientation,” Davis told the Express-News editorial board. Davis, D-Fort Worth, said she is “pleased” that the state's constitutional definition of marriage, as being between a man and a woman, is under challenge in federal court. “I think that what we see happening at the federal level in terms of constitutional interpretations on that provide some hope that it may be found unconstitutional,” she said.

A spokesman for Abbott scoffed at Davis' statement: "Unlike Senator Davis' positions on the issues, the Texas constitution is not subject to change on the latest whims of the day. Senator Davis' comment suggesting the Attorney General not enforce the Constitution mimics an Obama-style approach to government, and Texans deserve better."

TEXAS: Homocon Tammy Bruce Endorses Anti-Gay Candidate For Governor

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott opposes marriage equality and threatened to sue the city of San Antonio over its LGBT rights ordinance.

Wendy Davis To Run For Texas Governor

Next week Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, who catapulted to national fame for her marathon filibuster of an anti-abortion bill, will formally announce to her bid to run for governor.

Ms. Davis’s decision has the potential to turn the race to determine Gov. Rick Perry’s successor into a rare competitive showdown between long-suffering Texas Democrats and the Republican conservatives who have ruled state politics for decades. She would enter the race as a substantial underdog, but her candidacy would represent the most serious challenge to the Republican lock on the office. Two Republicans, Mr. Perry and George W. Bush, have held the office since the party began its winning streak in governor’s races in 1994, with Mr. Bush’s victory over the incumbent, Ann W. Richards.

Yesterday Davis tweeted: "A week from today, I’m announcing something big. Can you chip in now to show the strength of our grassroots network?"

TEXAS: Attorney General Greg Abbott Kicks Off Gubernatorial Bid

Over the weekend anti-gay Texas Attorney General officially kicked off his bid to succeed Gov. Rick Perry.

Hundreds of sweaty supporters in Plaza Juarez near the famous River Walk cheered while trying desperately to cut the heat with yellow-and-blue paper fans bearing Abbott's name over the words "Fast cars, firearms and freedom - it's a Texas thing." "With the money, the name ID, the political structure of the state right now, it's beautiful for Greg Abbott," said Bill Miller, a longtime GOP political consultant based in Austin. "It's absolutely his race to lose."

Abbott has sued the Obama administration 27 times during his tenure.

RELATED: The above-linked article notes that Abbott was partially paralyzed in 1984 when a tree splintered at its base and struck him in the back. Abbott then won millions in a lawsuit against the homeowner and has since become an advocate for limiting the amount that can be won in very type of civil suits that he filed. Republicanism, in a nutshell.

Rick Perry: I Won't Seek Reelection

Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced today that he will not seek reelection.

The time has come to pass on the mantle of leadership,” he said at a rally in San Antonio. “Today, I’m announcing I will not seek reelection as governor of Texas.” Perry has served as governor since 2000, when then-Gov. George W. Bush (R) became president. Perry was elected to full terms in 2002, 2006 and 2010. Perry also alluded to a potential 2016 presidential run, saying he will “pray and reflect and work to determine my own future path.”  Since his 2012 presidential bid floundered – capped off by his “oops” moment at a presidential debate — Perry has eyed a second run.

The main contender to succeed Perry is virulently anti-gay Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who declared in April that any Texas municipality that offers domestic partners insurance to its employees is in violation of the state constitution.  The city of Austin and Travis County have not moved to rescind those benefits.

Texas AG: Our Voter ID Law Is Now Valid Thanks To Supreme Court Ruling

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott reacted quickly to today's Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act by declaring that all citizens must now present photo ID when voting. Via the Dallas Morning News:

“With today’s decision, the State’s voter ID law will take effect immediately,” Abbott announced. “Redistricting maps passed by the Legislature may also take effect without approval from the federal government.” Laughlin McDonald of the ACLU, on a call with reporters, conceded that Texas has “a very strong argument” that in light of today’s Supreme Court decision, it can implement the Voter ID law and other laws that previously required federal approval.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has announced that starting Thursday, “Photo identification will now be required when voting in elections in Texas.” Starting Thursday, Texas driver license offices will begin issuing photo IDs to anyone who don’t already have one. Under the 2011 state law creating one of the state’s most strict voter ID laws, the certificates are free and valid for six years. To qualify, an applicant must show U.S. citizenship and Texas residency.

Raise your hand if you're shocked.  Abbott, not incidentally, plans to succeed Rick Perry as governor.

RELATED: In April, Abbott said that any Texas city that offers domestic partners benefits to employees is in violation of the state constitution, which bans any recognition of same-sex relationships.

SAN ANTONIO: Christian Groups Threaten To Sue Over Domestic Partners

Two San Antonio-based Christian groups are threatening to sue the city in order to overturn insurance benefits granted to the partners of LGBT city employees.

Pastor Gerald Ripley [left] of Voices for Marriage and Philip Sevilla of Texas Leadership Coalition made the request Wednesday with backing from a few sign-carrying supporters at City Hall. Attorney General Greg Abbott issued an opinion April 29 stating cities that offer marriage benefits to employees' same-sex partners are violating the Texas Constitution. San Antonio has done so since 2011, at an annual cost then estimated at $300,000. Ripley and Sevilla also voiced opposition to Councilman Diego Bernal's proposal to update the city's anti-discrimination policies by adding protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Further, Ripley and Sevilla oppose funding a city liaison to the gay community. The city's Governance Committee takes up Bernal's proposals on Tuesday.

Pastor Ripley: "We cannot allow this in San Antonio. We are not San Francisco." Ripley's partner in hate, the Texas Leadership Coalition, is a group comprised of "Catholic laymen." San Antonio's city attorney says they will not take action until the Supreme Court rules next month.

FRC Cheers Texas Attorney General

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said yesterday that municipalities are breaking the state constitution if they offer domestic partners benefits. And because they don't want gay people to have health insurance, that makes the Family Research Council very happy. Via press release:

In three cities and a school district, liberal Texans have tried to undermine the 2005 marriage referendum by offering benefits for same-sex partners. Unlike many amendments, Texas's specifically outlaws any "political subdivision" from creating a "legal status identical or similar to marriage"--and Monday, the Attorney General made it clear that those political subdivisions include local governments.

State Senator Dan Patrick had brought the matter to Abbott's attention in December, and FRC drafted a letter in support of Patrick's inquiry, urging the Attorney General to uphold the will of the people--75% of whom voted to protect marriage as the union of a man and woman. At a time when the fight over marriage is escalating--and the Left is looking for any legal foothold it can find--General Abbott's opinion is great news for voters across Texas! Our thanks and congratulations to state Senator Patrick for being bold enough to raise the issue--before it was too late.

As I noted yesterday, the city council of Austin and the commissioners of Travis County are discussing Abbott's opinion with their lawyers.

Texas Atty General Denies Gay Divorce

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has intervened in the divorce proceedings of a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts, denying the couple to right to separate legally in his state.

Angelique Naylor, 39, and Sabina Daly, 41, married in 2004 in Massachusetts, where gay marriage is legal. They returned to their home in Austin and together adopted a son, who is now 4. They have been separated for more than a year. Last week, at the close of a two-day hearing before state District Judge Scott Jenkins on how they should divide their property and share custody of their son, the two reached an agreement that in part called for them to divorce.

According to Naylor's lawyer, Jennifer Cochran, Jenkins granted the divorce orally and ordered the parties to put their agreement in writing and return to court next month for his signature. Abbott's petition in intervention was filed Thursday after the agreement was reached in court. In it, Abbott notes that after Naylor filed for divorce in December, Daly argued that divorce was the wrong legal remedy for the couple and that the court should instead declare the marriage void.

"Petitioner (Naylor) is asking the court to recognize and enforce a marriage between two persons of the same sex which is contrary to the law and public policy of the state," wrote Luther, Daly's lawyer. Abbott's petition said that through legal voidance, "the parties can achieve a legal termination of their Massachusetts marriage, through an enforceable judgment."

Last year Abbott appealed the case of two gay men who were granted a divorce by a Texas court. That case is still pending.