Mississippi Attorney General says public was ‘duped’ into supporting anti-LGBT ‘religious freedom’ bill
The Attorney General in Mississippi, where an anti-LGBT bill was recently struck down, said the public was “duped” into supporting it.
Jim Hood said on Friday that he is not sure whether it is worthwhile for his office to appeal a judge’s ruling from this week, which stopped the state from enforcing a recently passed ‘religious freedom’ law.
The Democrat said on Friday following from US District Judge Carlton Reeves’ ruling that “the churchgoing public was duped” to think that the law would protect those with objections to same-sex marriage.
Noting that North Carolina recently put aside $500,000 to defend its widely condemned HB2, Hood said he thinks defending HB 1523 could cost the taxpayer tens of thousands of dollars.
He wrote: “The federal court’s ruling was straightforward and clear. On page 9, the court quotes statements made by legislators, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The court found that those statements, along with the inclusion of the term “sincerely held religious beliefs” and the definition thereof in HB 1523, were strong evidence that the law was unconstitutional.
“In 2014, the state enacted the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, which created a right of citizens to sue the state in state court if they felt that their religious freedoms were being overburdened. The federal court observed that this act was already in law when those officials went for a second victory lap to reinvigorate the support of churchgoing people by passing HB 1523 in an overtly political fashion.”
Continuing: “I can’t pick my clients, but I can speak for myself as a named defendant in this lawsuit. The fact is that the churchgoing public was duped into believing that HB1523 protected religious freedoms. Our state leaders attempted to mislead pastors into believing that if this bill were not passed, they would have to preside over gay wedding ceremonies. No court case has ever said a pastor did not have discretion to refuse to marry any couple for any reason. I hate to see politicians continue to prey on people who pray, go to church, follow the law and help their fellow man.
“Our attorneys will evaluate this decision to determine whether or not to appeal all or parts of Thursday’s ruling. We do intend to appeal the Court’s decision earlier in the week to extend the injunction to cover circuit clerks, who were never parties to the case.
“I believe in the free exercise of religion and there will be a case in the future in which the U.S. Supreme Court will better define our religious rights. This case, however, is not that vehicle.”
Hood concludes: “In consideration of the individual rights of all our citizens, the state’s current budget crisis and the cost of appeal, I will have to think long and hard about spending taxpayer money to appeal the case against me. An appeal could cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars. For example, North Carolina has set aside $500,000 for defense of its bathroom law. Even if we won and the injunction were set aside on appeal, the case would be remanded and proceed to trial over about two years. Because of the huge tax breaks handed out to big corporations by these same leaders, the state is throwing mentally ill patients out on the street. This is hardly protecting the least among us as Jesus directed.”
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves blocked a Mississippi law allowing almost any individual or organisation to justify discrimination against LGBT people, single mothers, unwed couples and others – moments before it was set to take effect today.
HB 1523 would have allowed discrimination based on three religious beliefs: That marriage is only between a man and a woman; that sex should only take place in such a marriage; and that a person’s gender is determined at birth and cannot be altered.
