Tony Perkins, president of the
Christian conservative Family Research Council (FRC), criticized a
federal judge's ruling striking down Alabama's ban on gay marriage.
U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade ruled
that an Alabama law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples and a
similar constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2006 were
unconstitutional.
Alabama has asked Granade to stay her
ruling pending the outcome of a similar case before the U.S. Supreme
Court.
(Related: Alabama
asks judge to stay gay marriage ruling.)
“This federal judge is throwing out
the votes of the people of Alabama and attempting to shut down the
debate over marriage,” Perkins said in a statement.
“It is time that the courts respect
the freedom of the people to uphold the timeless and natural
definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman.”
“There is nothing in the U.S.
Constitution that empowers this federal judge to overturn Alabama's
marriage amendment nor any basis for the U.S. Supreme Court to impose
a 50 state same-sex 'marriage' mandate,” he added.
Meanwhile, Republican officials in the
state also criticized the decision.
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said in
a tweet he was “disappointed by the ruling,” while Alabama House
Speaker Mike Hubbard called it “outrageous.”
“It is outrageous when a single
unelected and unaccountable federal judge can overturn the will of
millions of Alabamians who stand in firm support of the Sanctity of
Marriage Amendment,” he said.
BuzzFeed's Chris Geidner disputed
Hubbard's claim, pointing out in
a tweet that fewer than 700,000 people voted in 2006 to
constitutionally exclude gay couples from marriage.