Will North Carolina Governor Enforce Gay Marriage Ruling?

North Carolina governor Pat McCrory (R) has stated that he fully supports gays’ rights to marry following the federal court rulings that struck down North Carolina's Christofascists/GOP inspired Amendment 1.  With some court magistrates in true Christofascist form believing that they are above the law and refusing to perform same sex marriages, McCory may soon be called to put his money where his mouth is and seek disciplinary action - hopefully firings - of magistrates who think that they are above the law.  As the Virginian Pilot reports, a magistrate in nearby Pasquotank County, one magistrate has already refused to do their job:

William Locklear and his partner showed up at the county courthouse Monday expecting to get married after 31 years together.  The couple didn't get the chance.  A magistrate turned them away.

"He said, 'I won't be performing your marriage because of my religious beliefs,' " Locklear said.

A federal judge struck down the state's gay marriage ban late Friday. Monday was the first full business day that same-sex marriages could be performed.  "He has to do his job," Locklear said. "He is not there to preach to us."

Pasquotank County Clerk of Superior Court Connie Thornley confirmed that a magistrate declined to perform the marriage.  Magistrates must marry gay couples or risk losing their jobs, she said.

The court website lists four magistrates in Pasquotank County. Thornley had concerns that more than one magistrate could resign over his or her beliefs, which could lead to a shortage, she said.

Frankly, an example needs to be made of this magistrate who needs to be promptly fired if such refusals continue.   Meanwhile, Towleroad reporst on McCrory's claim that he will uphold the law.  Here are excerpts:

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory (R) has stated that he fully supports gays’ rights to marry following U.S. District Court Judge Mac Cogburn Jr.’s decision that overturned the state's same sex marriage ban. Speaking to the Carolina Connection, the Governor admitted that while accepting gay marriage would require a fair amount of cultural evolution for North Carolina, his job as a public official was to uphold the court’s ruling.

“I think it's a time for healing on all sides,” he said. “Now that the disagreement has been resolved in the courts, it's our job to live together and work together and play together and respect each other together.”

McCrory’s election to the governor’s seat in 2012 marked the first time that the Republican party controlled both North Carolina’s senate and its general assembly since 1870. His tenure in office thus far has been marked by a number of classically conservative initiatives such as cutting unemployment benefits, opting out of Obamacare, and repealing the state’s Racial Justice Act. Most recently McCrory made headlines after the US Attorney’s Office launched an investigation into his administration’s potential involvement in settling environmental lawsuits on behalf Duke Energy.

As the quoted article notes, McCrory is a nasty piece of work and his feet will need to be held to the fire by citizens and the courts.