GA Governor may call special session on marriage ban (to pander)

Interestingly, not one of these reps addresses the legal issue of the court ruling, which was that the amendment contained more than a single subject.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/0517metgaymarriage.html?COXnetJSessionIDbuild135=ErWQLTVv3gWYbfbIA2i51QmghhNGN4ebyHOCNcQGyqH431PNAAIj!-546551303&UrAuth=`N\NUObNU\UZUaU^UcTYWYWZV&urcm=y

Gov. Sonny Perdue said Wednesday that he will call a special session of the state Legislature on Aug. 9 if the Georgia Supreme Court does not hear an appeal by Aug. 7 of Tuesday's court decision striking down a state constitutional amendment banning same sex marriages.

The governor made the comments in a speech to the Atlanta Press Club on Wednesday. He said the Legislature would convene to reframe the constitutional amendment that banned gay marriage and would put it up for voter approval at the polls in November.

Earlier in the day, state Attorney General Thurbert Baker said the decision would be appealed and that his office would request an expedited hearing.

"In my opinion, the decision by the Fulton County Superior Court is wrongfully decided," Baker said Wednesday. "I intend to press the Georgia Supreme Court to quickly correct the Superior Court's error and re-instate the language adopted by Georgia voters in 2004."

Baker also said the statute in Georgia prohibiting the recognition of same-sex marriage was still on the books and had not been declared invalid; only the constitutional amendment was struck down.

"If unresolved by the end of August — or resolved in opposition to the people's vote — I fully support a special session," said Senate President Pro-tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah). "Marriage between a man and a woman must be protected."

An August special session would allow a debate a few weeks before the 2006 elections on an issue that spurred social conservative voters to the polls in 2004 to pass the original amendment. Republicans say it will boost their chances of retaining the governor's mansion and the General Assembly if voters are drawn to the polls to vote on the gay marriage ban again

in the way they put it on the ballot! I remember it very well, because I called the Dem Hdqs of Ga to find out just what this resolution meant. It was very brief, and said something like marriage to be only between ad man and woman, but there was some other weird language there too, sorry I don't remember exactly what it was. Anyway, it was enough to make me call for an explaination. Turns out, Georgians were ALSO voting to prevent Ga. from recognizing civil unions, and also prevent benefits to be offered to georgia citizens.

I remember how pissed off I thought some people would be when they found out what the scope of this resolution was. I know Coka Cola offers health care to their employees, and the family plan is not restricted to being married or being same sex.

Sonny is running for re-election this year, so he's pulling out all the stops to insure he wins!

:rofl:

Georgia has one of the highest klan populations in the U.S.

I live in a confusing place.

I've been gone from Georgia for a long time, but my family first settled there in the late 1700s and most of "my people" remain there to this day. I've tried for years to explain to people what a contradictory place Georgia is (with patchy success on my part), and yet you nailed it with three sentences.