The plaintiffs in the Alabama case that overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage Friday have asked District Judge Callie Granade to deny the state’s request for an emergency stay of her ruling. The plaintiffs have also requested clarification on the ruling’s scope following the Alabama Probate Judges Association’s assertion that the ruling does open the door to statewide marriage equality. 

From the plaintiffs’ response:

Clarification is necessary as the Probate Judges association in Alabama have assumed the position like George Wallace at the schoolhouse door staring defiantly upon this Court’s order reasoning that not all citizens of Alabama are entitled to the same rights and privileges afforded under the Constitution of the United States and that as Probate Judges “it is [their] duty to issue marriage licenses in accordance with Alabama law and that means [they] can not legally issue marriage licenses to same sex couples.” Alabama Probate Judges Association statement to the press on January 24, 2015. It is respectfully submitted that this Court’s order declaring Ala. Const. Art. 1§ 36.03 (2006) and Ala. Code 1974 §30-1-19 unconstitutional for violation of the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment shall meet with immediate defiance and confusion without further clarification.

Stay tuned to see how this showdown in Alabama plays out…

Read the full response below via Equality Case Files:

#56 on Scribd”>1:14-cv-00208 #56 by Equality Case Files

Counting down the top five songs in the country on his SiriusXM radio show this past week, Howard Stern served up some colorful commentary on crooner Sam Smith and his hit single “I’m Not the Only One”.

Said the shock jock:

“He’s an ugly motherf–ker…I like that he’s chubby and gay. That’s why I love him. He’s one of those guys I feel like, he’s really good but I feel like that will be his only hit song…that’s how good he is. He’s fat and gay and little girls worship him. That’s when you know you have a good song and a good voice.”

Listen, AFTER THE JUMP…

On Thursday, we reported Sam’s split from boyfriend Jonathan Zeizel. 

(twitter)

On Saturday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal headlined an all-day prayer rally at Louisiana State University in an effort to drum up evangelical support for a potential 2016 bid for the White House. 

The Response, as the prayer rally was called, was hosted by the rabidly anti-gay American Family Association and featured various self-proclaimed prophets, doomsday sayers, and other assorted religious nuts as Right Wing Watch points out. 

The LSU community, which had repeatedly denounced the event in the lead up to this Saturday, showed up to protest the event, the AP reports:

“You’ve heard today is not about political speeches. Today is about humbling ourselves before the Lord. Today we repent for our sins,” he said. […]

Outside the prayer event, critics held a protest, saying the American Family Association, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has classified as a hate group, promotes discrimination against people who are gay or of non-Christian faiths.

Protesters accused Jindal of using the rally for political gain.

“I just knew this wasn’t what LSU stands for. These aren’t LSU values, Louisiana values or American values,” said Peter Jenkins, a 26-year-old graduate student and protest organizer.

Jindal hasn’t commented directly on the views of the American Family Association, which has linked same-sex marriage and abortion to disasters such as tornadoes and Hurricane Katrina.

On Friday, Rachel Maddow devoted a segment of her show to highlighting one of the crazier backers of The Response – Cindy Jacobs. You’ll recall Jacobs as the woman who claims to have a direct line to God and that God has given her special powers – such as the ability to predict natural disasters and raise people from the dead. 

Watch Rachel’s killer segment, AFTER THE JUMP…

[photo via Flickr]