The Background: North Carolina’s Constitutional Marriage Amendment, approved by 61% of the voters in 2012, was summarily dismissed by U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn last October, 2014.
The Case: The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing several conflicting lower case rulings regarding the legality of so-called same sex marriage. April 28, 2015, is the date set for oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges, the case challenging the constitutionality of laws defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The high court will consider two questions: 1) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex, and 2) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize same-sex marriages performed out-of-state. For more information on this issue, visit the CWA’s Legal Studies page.
The institution of marriage is clearly defined in God’s Word in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” CWA and CWA of North Carolina are committed to both the Biblical principles of traditional marriage and the idea that it is ‘We the People’ who should decide what marriage is, not unelected judges.
The Outcome: If the Court rules that states are allowed to define marriage, it will be great news for North Carolina voters who favor the Biblical definition of marriage. North Carolina’s Constitutional Marriage Amendment will stand. If the Court somehow re-writes the U.S. Constitution to find a requirement for states to promote same-sex “marriages,” then we will have to move fast to protect religious liberty, even more aggressively than we have until now, because our Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality will be effectively considered enemies of the state.
Pray: Please pray for each justice by name. Pray they will be guided by truth and our founding principles in deciding these critical issues and that they will disregard the friend-of-the-court brief filed by Attorney General Eric Holder for the Obama administration asking to make “marriage equality” a reality for all Americans. Pray for all suffering under the sin of disobedience to honor God’s original design for marriage.
Take Action by attending and/or praying for these two events:
Saturday, April 25 – March for Marriage
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Washington, D.C.
The March for Marriage is a powerful demonstration to the media, opinion leaders, legislators and jurists that a majority of Americans still stand for marriage as it has been traditionally and historically defined and handed down through the centuries.
Click here for more information.
Tuesday, April 28 – Rally for Marriage
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Washington, D.C.
The Rally for Marriage join hundreds of traditional marriage supporters in front of the Supreme Court during the oral arguments of Obergefell v. Hodges. CWA’s President and CEO, Penny Young Nance, and CWA’s Legal Counsel, Mario Diaz, Esq., will be speaking as well as other organizations advocating on behalf of traditional marriage.
Click here for more information.