this is an embarrassment worldwide, our top legal guy has to make it a law to treat other Americans respectfully how screwed up is that?
Attorney General Eric Holder has for the first time directed Justice Department employees to give same-sex married couples "full and equal recognition, to the greatest extent under the law," a move with far-ranging consequences for how such couples are treated in federal courtrooms and proceedings.The directive specifies that such couples can decline to give testimony in U.S. cases that might incriminate a spouse, known in the law as marital privilege. The guidance says the Justice Department won't object to that even if the state where the couple lives doesn't formally recognize the marriage.It also means U.S. trustees will take the position that same-sex married couples should be able to file jointly for bankruptcy "and that domestic support obligations should include debts, such as alimony, owed to a former same-sex spouse."And in federal prisons, same-sex married inmates will have visitation privileges, escorted trips to attend a spouse's funeral and compassionate release policies if their spouse suffers severe illness.Holder is preparing to make the new policy public Saturday evening at a gala event for the Human Rights Campaign in New York.
will the bigots set their hair on fire or want to secede or even better just leave the country. with all the positive names America has assigned to itself you would think they were actually true.
Update at 2 p.m. ET:
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, called the decision a "landmark" that would "change the lives of countless committed gay and lesbian couples for the better."While the immediate effect of these policy decisions is that all married gay couples will be treated equally under the law, the long-term effects are more profound. Today, our nation moves closer toward its ideals of equality and fairness for all," Griffin says.
it will be interesting to see how many will refuse to obey the law that seems to be the republican rebellion of the day, even more interesting is will they be held liable by the feds, we know some states think they have already seceded and laws don't apply especially if it's in favor of the LGBT Americans who by default should already have those rights as American citizens.
