Family Research Council: Lawless Circuit Judge Strikes Down Arkansas Marriage Amendment

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May 12, 2014, 02:21 ET

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins released the following statement regarding the decision Friday evening by Arkansas Judge Chris Piazza to strike down the state's constitutional marriage amendment:

"An astonishing act of arrogance and disregard for the voters of Arkansas is the only way to describe Judge Chris Piazza's close-of-business decision on Friday. It is very telling that Judge Piazza waited until Friday evening at the close of business to issue a ruling clearly designed to create confusion among clerks across the state and undermine the rule of law. Judge Piazza is substituting his personal preferences for the judgment of the 75 percent of Arkansas voters who gave approval to a constitutional amendment preserving marriage as the union of a man and a woman, and he is doing so in a method that brings further dishonor to the judicial system.

"An arrogant judiciary is only one of the major consequences of the drive to redefine marriage. Increasingly, Americans are being forced to finance and celebrate unions that not only step on free speech and religious liberty but also deny children a mom and a dad. Rather than live-and-let-live, redefining marriage creates serious inequality as people are forced to suppress or violate the basic teachings of their faith," concluded Perkins.

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SOURCE Family Research Council