Tag Archives: gay marriage

Get ready for more “religious freedom” bills

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Gird your loins. The next Texas legislative session is almost a year away, but Senate Republicans are already zeroing in on proposals to bolster legal protections for religious opponents of same-sex marriage after its legalization by the U.S. Supreme Court … Continue reading →

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Paxton finds another way to be in trouble

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Like fleas to a dog, trouble just follows this guy around. Remember that historic Supreme Court ruling last year? The one that ended decades of discrimination against same-sex couples who wanted to get married? Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton surely … Continue reading →

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Transgender people can now get correct birth certificates

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. Last week, Texas began giving trans people the option of sealing their old birth certificates and issuing new ones, according to Dallas attorney Katie Sprinkle. Previously, Texas issued amended certificates and those were only issued with a surgeon’s … Continue reading →

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Garcia to challenge Green in CD29

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This will be interesting to watch. Former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia is challenging 23-year Democratic Congressman Gene Green in the 29th district, he told the Chronicle Monday, a risky intra-party challenge of a popular incumbent. The move comes less … Continue reading →

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Mimi Swartz’s Mayoral campaign rant

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here it is. What if they held a mayoral race and nobody came? That’s the question plaguing many people currently involved in Houston politics—even if no one else in town is asking it. This phenomenon isn’t entirely new: in 2009,* … Continue reading →

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How much do you hate same sex marriage?

Posted on October 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not as much as this guy does. Ammon J. Taylor of San Antonio is so vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage that he took the unusual step of forming a federal super PAC to fight it. The 27-year-old salesman is taking … Continue reading →

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2015 Texas Lyceum poll

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Issues first, election stuff to come. From the press release: The 2015 Texas Lyceum Poll Finds:  Immigration remains the most important issue facing the state and Texans support lawmakers’ increased spending on border security. Texans’ views on  gay marriage are changing. … Continue reading →

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Counting the number of same sex marriages in Texas

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Fewer than I’d have guessed, but still a decent amount percentage-wise. Statewide, an estimated 2,500 same-sex couples have received marriage licenses in Texas since the [Obergfell] ruling. There is no exact accounting of how many same-sex marriage licenses have been … Continue reading →

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Getting back into the marriage game

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It was too good to stay away. Two Harris County justices of the peace have resumed officiating weddings this week after a brief hiatus in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on marriage equality. Judges Russ Ridgway … Continue reading →

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Paxton loses again on same sex marriage

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Turning aside objections from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Travis County judge approved an out-of-court settlement Tuesday that recognizes the eight-year relationship of two Austin women as a common-law marriage. The settlement accepted by Travis County Probate Judge … Continue reading →

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Paxton still fighting same sex marriage

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some things never change. Despite his recent pledge to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling, Attorney General Ken Paxton is already seeking to prevent the decision from being applied in an Austin estate case. Paxton’s office filed … Continue reading →

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State gets the bill for fighting same sex marriage

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Please pay promptly. The attorneys for same-sex couples who successfully challenged Texas’ gay marriage ban in federal court are seeking nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in fees and costs from the state. In a 27-page motion filed Friday, attorneys … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s contempt saga officially ends

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure he’s so relieved. A federal judge has canceled next week’s contempt-of-court hearing for Attorney General Ken Paxton, saying it is not needed because Texas government agencies have begun acknowledging same-sex marriages. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia had ordered … Continue reading →

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Does your JP still do marriages?

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some do and some don’t. Last Wednesday, Judge Dale Gorczynski, a justice of the peace in Harris County, heard 19 eviction cases, sent 147 traffic and misdemeanor cases to trial and presided over five weddings: Three for same-sex couples and … Continue reading →

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Divorce granted to same sex couple in Tarrant County

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

At some point, stories like this will cease to be news. It took two Tarrant County women nearly two years to legally end their failed marriage because of the tangle of state and federal law. But on Thursday, Brooke Powell … Continue reading →

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Paxton asks to be excused from contempt hearing

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

He promises he’s been a good boy, so can he please come out of time out now? Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office says he shouldn’t face a contempt hearing for failing to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage … Continue reading →

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The cost of defying the law on same sex marriage

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Nearly $44K in attorneys’ fees, and it could have been worse. It has been a month since Joe Stapleton and Jim Cato finally got the marriage license Hood County Clerk Katie Lang denied them because of her religious beliefs. It … Continue reading →

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State issues new guidelines for birth and death certificates

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. The state has issued new guidelines for filing and changing vital records to recognize same-sex marriage status, as ordered by a federal judge in San Antonio In a court advisory filed late Wednesday, the Texas Attorney General’s … Continue reading →

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State Health Services department finally amends that death certificate

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Complying with a federal court order, Texas has issued an amended death certificate acknowledging a Conroe man as the husband of a same-sex spouse who had died in January. The men had been married in New Mexico in 2014, … Continue reading →

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There’s more to complying with SCOTUS than issuing marriage licenses

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like Ken Paxton may get to learn that the hard way. A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Texas must recognize the same-sex marriage of a Conroe resident by naming him as the surviving spouse on his late husband’s death … Continue reading →

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Bridal Extravaganza happily adjusts to a same-sex marriage world

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Love is love, and business is business. Vendors in the industry, from florists to caterers, are seeing a bumper crop of same-sex Texas weddings. “I think there’s going to be some pent-up demand, and that’s exciting,” said Laurette Veres, Bridal … Continue reading →

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Woodfill is still pursuing his anti-same-sex benefits lawsuit

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox and the febrile mind of Jared Woodfill: Last year Houston Judge Lisa Millard granted a temporary injunction and ordered Houston Mayor Annise Parker and the City of Houston to immediately stop recognizing same-sex ‘marriages’ and stop providing … Continue reading →

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Paxton concedes FMLA lawsuit

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. Almost a month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton quietly conceded a case against the federal government over medical leave benefits for certain same-sex couples. Paxton and the … Continue reading →

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We don’t want to share marriage with those icky gay people

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Ed Kilgore detects a new trend. Now that the Christian Right has been reduced to the sputtering defiance of Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal or to the sullen silence of many others, one can hope that conservative acceptance of same-sex … Continue reading →

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Revisiting birth certificates

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is one of those next steps that needs to be taken. After the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage, some gay and lesbian couples in Texas have raised questions about another legal document – birth certificates. They want Texas … Continue reading →

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Rusk County Clerk sets an example

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I respect this. The Rusk County Commissioners Court on Monday formally accepted the resignation of County Clerk Joyce Lewis-Kugle, apparently the first Texas elected official to quit office rather than abide by the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. … Continue reading →

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There will be more lawsuits

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The lawsuit filed in Hood County to force County Clerk Katie Lang to issue a marriage license to a same sex couple won’t be the last one like it. “We hope and expect that county clerks across Texas and the … Continue reading →

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Prepare for your time in the spotlight, Irion County

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s coming. No same-sex couples have sought a marriage license in Irion County, but if or when they do the county clerk is willing to fight it in court. County Clerk Molly Criner has vowed to stand for “natural marriage” … Continue reading →

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Paxton drops another same sex marriage appeal

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Another step forward. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton plans to dismiss an appeal challenging a Travis County judge’s February ruling that found the state’s ban on gay marriage to be unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 decision declaring gay … Continue reading →

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Federal lawsuit filed in Hood County

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you hear is the rubber meeting the road. The motion for a temporary injunction and temporary restraining order was filed this morning in Fort Worth federal court on behalf of Soifer’s clients, Jim Cato and Joe Stapleton, who’ve … Continue reading →

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And the battle moves to Irion County

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

“Where the heck is Irion County?” I hear you cry. Just the home of the next County Clerk that needs to be schooled on the Constitution, and not her dime store “understanding” of it. The county clerk in tiny Irion … Continue reading →

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Here come the lawyers

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t see how the squadron of anti-equality attorneys has a case in the wake of Obergfell, but they’re gonna try their best to muck things up anyway. Now, conservative attorneys are gearing up to defend [government employees who refuse … Continue reading →

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Paxton takes the culture-warrior lead

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Well, at least he’s found his calling in life. In the six months before Ken Paxton won election as Texas attorney general last fall, he stayed largely out of sight. Under an ethical cloud amid claims of financial fraud, he … Continue reading →

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The wedding industry is rubbing its hands with glee

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing like having your market dramatically expanded overnight. Within hours after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in Texas and across the country, local wedding businesses and venues already began getting orders and bookings from same-sex couples. Those in the … Continue reading →

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