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From the Desk of:
Mat Staver
Liberty Counsel
2/20/2014
On February 14, an activist judge appointed by President Barack Obama ruled against a Virginia law that affirms marriage as being reserved to the union of one man and one woman. The target of the judge's judicial activism was the Virginia Marriage Amendment, passed by a plurality of that state's voters in 2006.
As we expected, marriage has come under intense assault nationwide since the release of the Supreme Court's rulings on the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California's Proposition 8 last year.
Liberty Counsel is actively engaged in a number of cases across the nation fighting for the defense of natural marriage - the union of one man and one woman, as God ordained. Please see my very important message below - Mat.
Virginia's Cardinal with Attitude ! 
Judge Arenda Wright Allen recently issued a ruling against natural marriage that can only be described as a Valentine's Day massacre.
An Obama appointee displaying her "Obamabot" credentials, Wright Allen's ruling is being widely criticized as an example of raw judicial activism.
Judge Wright Allen stated in her opinion that marriage laws somehow perpetuate "prejudice," "stigma," and "pain." Her writing asserts that the Constitution declares "all men are created equal," and that surely the Founders meant "all" (presumably including homosexuals) by that phrase.
The problem with her statement is that the phrase comes from the Declaration of Independence, not the U.S. Constitution, and neither the Founders nor the Creator ever contemplated a "right" for men to marry men or women to marry women!
Judge Wright Allen's decision is outrageous
and badly flawed.
Lamentably, the judge chose to reject the evidence presented in an amicus brief written by credentialed academics showing that marriage between a man and a woman is always best for children's welfare.
She rejected Liberty Counsel's request to file an amicus brief, rejected the evidence presented in the professors' amicus brief, and instead cited briefs filed in another case that had nothing to do with the Virginia marriage laws!
As an aside, judges would be well served to know what is in the U.S. Constitution and not attempt to rewrite it. The Constitution cannot be changed by the stroke of a judge's pen, nor does it bow to a judge's personal ideology. Only lawless judges subvert the law and make it serve their own ends!
The overwhelming majority of Virginia citizens voted to affirm natural marriage and to codify that position in law. Judges should carefully render decisions grounded in the laws they are sworn to uphold. Otherwise, judges and courts will have made themselves powerless when the People lose confidence in the judicial system.
Thankfully, Judge Wright Allen's scandalous decision has been stayed pending appeal. On appeal, Liberty Counsel will file an amicus brief!
The ACLU, LAMBDA, the Human Rights Campaign, and other radical groups are capitalizing on this sad situation.
Last summer, when the Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Liberty Counsel warned that the decision created an opening for the challenge of man-woman marriage laws on the state level. Regrettably, those warnings have proven to be prophetic.
Within hours of the High Court's rulings, the ACLU, a longtime proponent of same-sex "marriage," promptly declared war on laws supporting natural marriage. Included in their new strategy:
- Aggressively lobbying state legislatures
- Organizing state-level ballot campaigns
- Litigating in state courts nationwide
- Working with sympathetic parties to provide documentation and legal support
They also launched their "Out for Freedom" fundraising campaign calling for $10 million in special funds for this specific project!
For their part, the George Soros-funded Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has vowed to make "gay marriage" legal in all 50 states within five years.
Liberty Counsel must rise to meet this challenge!
Liberty Counsel and our allies are not going to merely roll over in the face of these attacks. Marriage cannot be turned into a profane mockery of what God made it to be!
Raylyn, if you believe that God's law defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, then please help us confront this insanity.
When you stand with Liberty Counsel, you are standing for the family and for defending the sanctity of natural marriage. You are equipping us to fight for the restoration of values that declare that God ordained marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Your financial support will help keep our legal team engaged in defending the family and natural marriage nationwide.
Every gift, no matter the size, will help us turn back radical attacks on the part of pro-homosexual activists and other subversive groups. Please, go here to help:
http://www.libertyaction.org/1310/offer.asp
Thank you so much for your prayers and gifts! May God bless you!
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
P.S. Right now, Liberty Counsel's docket contains several pro-family, pro-marriage initiatives and litigation efforts. I need your help to ensure that we can continue fighting these battles that are critical to the defense of natural marriage and the family.
Our legal battles cannot be fought without the support of faithful friends like you. Stand with Liberty Counsel today and join our fight for natural marriage! Although our adversaries want us to think the cause for natural marriage is lost, that is far from the truth! We can and do win important battles when we show up to fight!
A donation of any amount will help fund our battles on behalf of life, liberty, and family in 2014. Please, go here to help:
http://www.libertyaction.org/1310/offer.asp
Mat Staver alert@libertyaction.org
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