JUDGE SAYS “NO” TO SCHUYLKILL CLERK’S INTERVENTION IN GAY MARRIAGE; FREEDOM TO MARRY REMAINS PROTECTED

According to EqualityPA.org, today (Wednesday, June 18, 2014), Judge John E. Jones denied a Schuylkill County’s clerk’s request to intervene on his decision to give all couples, no matter their gender, the freedom to marry in Pennsylvania.
On June 6, 2014, Schuylkill County clerk Theresa Santai Gaffney filed a motion to intervene in the May 20, 2014 Pennsylvania gay marriage decision. Click HERE to view a June 6, 2014 TamaquaArea.com story about this.
“The fact is that marriage matters to all families and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families in Pennsylvania deserve the same dignity and protection as anyone else,” said Ted Martin, Executive Director, Equality PA in an earlier press release.
He continued, saying, “It saddens me, as I am sure it saddens many Pennsylvanians, that some individuals are having such a hard time accepting that all people deserve to be treated equally regardless of our differences. We have branches of government for a reason, and the judicial branch has a legitimate right to interpret whether laws meet the constitutional standards that our nation’s founders created. We are glad that Judge Jones examined the case and came to a reasonable conclusion. We also thank Governor Tom Corbett for recognizing that the majority of Pennsylvanian’s understand that love is love. The fact is that marriage matters to all families, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families in Pennsylvania deserve the same dignity and protection as anyone else.”