Late last night, the Bisbee City Council voted in favor of an ordinance in which the city would legally recognize same-sex civil unions, becoming the first city in Arizona to do so.
And state Attorney General Tom Horne, an exemplary champion of the sanctity of marriage, has sworn to fight Bisbee’s resolution.
From azcentral.com:
The City Council pushed aside legal warnings from the state’s attorney general and a conservative advocacy group and voted 5-2 to become first city in the state to offer civil-union certificates for all couples that would extend to same-sex partners some of the same rights as married couples within the Bisbee boundaries.
The ordinance, which goes into effect in 30 days, would cover joint property ownership, property inheritance, guardianship and adoption rights.
…
City Attorney John MacKinnon defended the move, saying the civil-union ordinance “does not change state laws” and that the state had no legal standing to fight it.
Arizona voters in 2008 approved a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. However, two years earlier, voters rejected a broader version that would have barred the state and local governments from creating or recognizing “a legal status for unmarried persons that is similar to marriage.”
Horne’s response, released prior to the Bisbee vote:
“The ordinance seeks to change seven separate State statutes within the boundaries of the city, dealing with issues such as community property, inheritance of property, and appointment of personal representatives,” Horne said in a news release. “The only proper way to change a statute is through the Legislature, not through actions of the City Council … I emphasize that I am not expressing any opinion on the policy of the ordinance. My job is to enforce the laws that exist and I am obligated to respond to complaints from state legislators.”
It’s good he doesn’t have strong feelings on the idea of same-sex marriage then, since that seems to mesh perfectly into his ideas about marriage in general.
This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2013.
As I commented on in another piece and another comment, you folks seem to think that when the government is for you that’s good, and when it’s against you, that’s bad. I say that depending on government for much of anything is bad nearly always. Sure, we need a very minimal government. But leadership is NOT needed as mostly folks, once they are adults, can lead themselves and should do so. To pin your hopes on a government is to take a huge chance that those hopes will be dashed in the next election.
By the way, this comment would be equally offensive to all Dems and all Reps. It is they that love big government. They would also think they are smarter than you are and thus should control you and how you live your life.
Equal rights under the law, and a policy of non-discrimination for Bisbee! A win for justice and equality in Southern Arizona! Our AG should be a champion for AZ citizens’ rights, not a sworn crusader against them. He should now do his job to assist our citizens by improving the statute through the Legislature to assure non-discrimination state-wide. DO NOT WASTE any of my taxpayer money fighting against civil rights of Arizonans or the Bisbee resolution.
“In Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, a story is related that Julius Caesar divorced his wife (Pompeia) because of rumors of opprobrious behavior. At trial, Caesar said he knew nothing about his wife’s rumored adultery, but asserted that he divorced her because his wife “ought not even be under suspicion” (The Life of Caesar, 9-10)”.
In order to enforce the Laws of Arizona, Horne MUST be above suspicion. He is NOT!!
Horne has been under investigation by the Federal Government….and…was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run incident. He lost all credibility as the chief law enforcemnnt officer of Arizona. Besides….he is a homophobic bigot!!!
Civil Unions should be Legal for “ALL” couples, regardless of sexual preference. Marriage can be for Hetro-Couples. Everybody wins…What wrong with that?
That’s fine, I suppose, cempiremtn. The problem is that a group of people is kept from the idea of marriage — the idea that people are bonded together in commitment by that one, simple word.
I’m not gay, so I can’t speak for those who are. But there’s a lot of weight behind that word “marriage,” behind the idea of getting married. Hell, entire industries are centered around it. It evokes emotions, memories, desires, all sorts of good things. “Civil unions,” on the other hand are pretty damn dry sounding, you know?
It seems to be yet another case where one word is the stumbling block that no one can manage to get around — ignoring, in this instance, the religious context that many people assign to the concept of marriage.