By Matt Trewhella
On Monday, Dec. 14, Sullivan County, Tenn., commissioners voted to send a resolution to the Tennessee capitol in Nashville calling upon the legislators and governor to defy the Supreme Court’s lawless Obergefell opinion and uphold the laws and constitution of Tennessee.
The resolution notes: A mere two years prior to Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court stated that “the Constitution delegated no authority to the Government of the United States on the subject of marriage and divorce;” and that “The whole subject of the domestic relations of husband and wife, parent and child, belongs to the laws of the States and not to the laws of the United States.” (Windsor at 2691, internal citations omitted).
The resolution concludes by stating:
THEREFORE, the Board of Commissioners of Sullivan County Tennessee, this 14th day of December 2015, calls the Tennessee General Assembly and Governor to keep their oaths to uphold the Tennessee Constitution and the Constitution of the United States (1) by refusing to accept the lawless opinion of the United States Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges as binding precedent for all but the specific plaintiffs in that case, and (2) by continuing to uphold the Tennessee State Constitution which says:
“The historical institution and legal contract solemnizing the relationship of one man and one woman shall be the only legally recognized marital contract in this state,”
and (3) by pledging legal and political assistance to anyone who refuses to follow Obergefell for constitutionally protected reasons, and (4) by appealing to the United States Congress to correct the Supreme Court’s usurpation of power by telling the Supreme Court that it does not have appellate jurisdiction in cases regarding the definition of marriage,in accord with their powers delegated in Article 3, Section 2, paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution.
What these commissioners have done provides a template for people in every state in America to do the same in their county. [Click here to read a news story about the resolution]. These resolutions are so important because they prod the higher state authorities – the Legislature, Attorney General, and Governor – to interpose.
Source: Times News of Kingsport, Tenn., http://www.timesnews.net/News/2015/12/14/Sullivan-County-commission.html