A House member has filed a resolution that seeks to impeach a
federal judge over a pair of rulings forcing Ohio to recognize the
out-of-state marriages of two gay couples.
Republican Rep. John Becker's resolution seeks to impeach U.S.
District Judge Timothy S. Black of the Southern District of Ohio, The
Columbus Dispatch reported.
Black ruled in separate cases that Ohio officials must recognize
the marriages of two gay couples. The two couples sought to have
their marriages recognized upon a partner's death. In one case, one
spouse had unexpectedly died at the time of the ruling. The second
spouse is dying from Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) and wants to be
buried in a family plot.
(Related: Judge
extends order recognizing gay couple's marriage.)
Becker claims that Black's rulings violate the Ohio Constitution,
which limits marriage to heterosexual couples, and the 10th
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“Judge Black has demonstrated his incompetence by allowing his
personal political bias to supersede jurisprudence,” Becker wrote
in asking colleagues for their support for the resolution. “The
U.S. House of Representatives has the power to impeach and the U.S.
Senate has the power to remove them from office. This will begin the
process of restoring state sovereignty back to the original intent of
the U.S. Constitution.”