Supreme Court Ruling on Gay Marriage

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by thetalady

MC, does this decision also mean that religious leaders of all faiths will be required to perform same sex marriages? Could they be prosecuted for discrimination if they refuse? or is that an issue coming later down the road?

Not remotely possible.

See the First Amendment Establishment and Free Exercise clauses.

[PiKA2001]

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Not remotely possible.

See the First Amendment Establishment and Free Exercise clauses.

thanks for the info everybody! I appreciate it.

An interesting read that also helped, thanks to Mary Poppins

A 30 Second Guide to How the Gay Marriage Ruling Affects You

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Not remotely possible.

See the First Amendment Establishment and Free Exercise clauses.

This. Religious leaders/clergy aren't "required" to perform weddings now. They are authorized (or in some states, licensed) to perform weddings, and are fully able (as DGTess suggests) to refuse to perform a wedding if applicale religious requirements are not met.

What today's decision means is that if a state legally recognizes a marriage, the federal government cannot refuse to recognize it. So for example, if you're a legally-married same-sex couple in, say, New York, the IRS now has to let you file a joint tax return. But under the decisions today, it is still up to each state to decide whether to recognize same-sex marriages.