ATLANTA — The Georgia Supreme Court July 6 reinstated that state’s constitutional marriage amendment, unanimously ruling that it does not — as a lower court had ruled — violate the state constitution. The short six-page decision comes just weeks after a Georgia trial-court judge said the amendment violated the state constitution’s single-subject clause, which prevents an amendment from dealing with more than one issue. But the high court disagreed.
The amendment, passed in 2004 by 76 percent of voters, bans both gay “marriage” and Vermont-style civil unions.
Georgia is one of 20 states to have adopted a marriage amendment. In filing the lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia and Lambda Legal — a homosexual-activist legal group — had argued that the amendment violated the Georgia Constitution.
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue had threatened to call a special session of the Legislature this year to deal with the issue if the Georgia Supreme Court didn’t reinstate the amendment.
The decision was 6–0. One of the seven judges did not participate in the case. (TAB)
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