Republican presidential candidate Mike
Huckabee on Thursday denounced the Supreme Court ruling striking down
state bans on gay marriage, saying that as president he would protect
opponents.
In a
Fox News op-ed, Huckabee claimed that the Supreme Court's ruling
was an “out-of-control act of unconstitutional judicial tyranny.”
“While some cowardly politicians will
wave the white flag and surrender to the false god of judicial
supremacy, I refuse to light a match to our Constitution,” he
wrote. “We must resist and reject judicial tyranny, not retreat.”
Huckabee pledged as president to sign
executive orders that “support traditional marriage and protect
businesses, churches, non-profits, schools and universities,
hospitals, and other organizations from discrimination, intimidation,
civil penalties, or criminal attacks for exercising their religious
beliefs” and direct the attorney general to “protect liberty and
prosecute any violations of First Amendment rights of individuals,
businesses, religious organizations, institutions, and civil
servants, including those who believe in traditional marriage.”
“The Justice Department will protect
and defend the rights of American citizens to follow their religious
convictions without discrimination, and prosecute attacks on people
of faith and their religious liberty.”
“I will aggressively prosecute
attacks against people of faith as hate crimes,” he added.
A graphic posted on the Huckabee
campaign Facebook page quotes the former governor as saying, “An
attack on Christians and their religious liberty is a hate crime that must
be prosecuted.”