On Tuesday, October 6, 2015 Blount County Commissioner Karen Miller will propose to the County Commission “The Nullification of Marriage” Resolution. This is actually in support of the bigger problem of the State legislature’s Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act (Senate Bill 1437/House Bill 1412).  This bill was filed by two GOP lawmakers from Wilson County on September 17, 2015 in response to the SCOTUS marriage equality ruling of June 26.

The TN bill states that marriage is between one woman and one man and any other court decision is void. This bill also states that, No state or local agency or official shall give force or effect to any court order that has the effect of violating Tennessee’s laws protecting natural marriage,” and says the state attorney general “shall defend any state or local government official from any lawsuit regarding the official’s recognition of natural marriage.”

Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet and Rep. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon filed this affront to the Supreme Court and the law of the land. It attempts to intertwine religious “law” with civil law, giving more credence to the former.

Lawmakers willing to force their religion onto other citizens do so with the imagined “authority” of having a majority of voters supporting them. They never seem to take into consideration that majorities change. They don’t ever contemplate the possibility that a future majority may come from a religion quite different from theirs and they would not want its tenets forced on them just as they are forcing their religion on others. 

The Constitution protects all of the citizens from just that scenario. One Nation, under the Constitution, with liberty and justice (hopefully) for all.