La. and Miss. last to hold out against same-sex marriage
In historical development, the Supreme Court ruled same-sex couples have the constitutional right to marry, but two states - Mississippi and Louisiana - are holding off.
On Friday in the 5-4 ruling, the ruling majority declared the 14th Amendment requires all states to perform same-sex marriages and recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood claims his state is still caught up in a legal order from an ongoing gay marriage lawsuit; therefore, the Supreme Court ruling is not immediately effective.
In a statement released Friday, Hood said: "The Office of the Attorney General is certainly not standing in the way of the Supreme Court's decision. We simply want to inform our citizens of the procedure that takes effect after this ruling. The Supreme Court decision is the law of the land and we do not dispute that. When the 5th Circuit lifts the stay of Judge Reeves' order, it will become effective in Mississippi and circuit clerks will be required to issue same-sex marriage licenses."
The Louisiana attorney general's office said it found nothing stating the ruling must take effect immediately.
"Our agencies will have no choice but to comply with the Supreme Court's decision when the 5th Circuit Court orders the ruling into effect - even though we disagree with it and believe it was wrongly decided, and has nothing to do with the Constitution," said Mike Reed, Jindal's spokesman in the governor's office to NOLA.com.
Jindal released a statement after the same-sex marriage ruling expressing his reservations.
"This decision will pave the way for an all out assault against the religious freedom rights of Christians who disagree with this decision. This ruling must not be used as pretext by Washington to erode our right to religious liberty," he said. "Marriage between a man and a woman was established by God, and no earthly court can alter that."
In 1996, fewer than 3 in 10 Americans thought same-sex marriage should be legal. Now, nearly 6 in 10 (57 percent) do.
Just more than half at 55 percent of those in dissent are Republicans.
"I don't think most of us who have ever read the scripture would believe that there is a division over what marriage means," said former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. "It's still one man, one woman, life partners, and the courts can no more suspend the law of marriage any more than it can suspend the law of gravity."
Like Huckabee, every Republican presidential candidate has lined up against the Supreme Court ruling.
"I believe in traditional marriage. I believe the Supreme Court should have allowed the states to make this decision," said former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "I also believe that we should love our neighbor and respect others, including those making lifetime commitments. In a country as diverse as ours, good people who have opposing views should be able to live side by side."