Religious Rights of NC Magistrates Under Fire
Gay activists in North Carolina are trying to force magistrates to perform same-sex weddings, even when it violates their religious beliefs.
Three couples have filed a lawsuit to overturn North Carolina's law that allows for religious freedom for those magistrates.
The law was passed in June, despite a veto attempt by the governor. In North Carolina, any official's decision to opt out applies to all marriages same-sex and heterosexual for at least six months.
About 5 percent of the state's roughly 670 magistrates had filed recusal paperwork as of September, according to the state court system.
But Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger said everyone seeking a marriage license in North Carolina has received one since the law was enacted in June.
"This is just the latest attempt by the far Left's political correctness mob to force their beliefs on everyone else by trampling the First Amendment guarantee of religious freedom," Berger said.
Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said Wednesday that he personally opposes the law but his office will perform its duties and defend the law on the state's behalf.
