Judicial Activism 'At Absolute Worst' in Texas

From OneNewsNow
By Charlie Butts

Courts in two major Texas cities, Austin and Dallas, have granted two lesbian couples divorces -- in direct defiance of voters who amended the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

Kelly Shackelford, president of Liberty Institute, tells OneNewsNow that The Lone Star is experiencing what has already been happening in other states. "What we're seeing is judicial activism at its absolute worst," he comments. "This is something that was put to a vote of all the people in Texas. The vote was overwhelming – 76 percent of the state said very clearly that they wanted marriage to be a man and a woman, period."

Attorney General Greg Abbott requested both judges to reconsider, but that appeal has been declined. So the question is whether the cases might result in a constitutional challenge between the attorney general and the judges -- and Shackelford believes that they will.

"What the judge in Dallas did is just unbelievable," he contends. "Nobody even asked this judge to overturn the state constitution, but she held that the constitution is unconstitutional, and then went to a fundraiser, bragging about what she had done."

The Liberty Institute president concludes that that is pure judicial activism. He plans to take the case to the state Court of Appeals later this month.