SUPREME COURT-GAY MARRIAGE
Kennedy has tough questions for both sides
WASHINGTON (AP) – With demonstrators on both sides of the issue making themselves heard outside, the Supreme Court has heard arguments on whether same-sex couples should have the right to marry.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote could decide the issue, was the author of the court’s three earlier rulings supporting gay rights — and he spoke today of the principles that guided those decisions.
But he also worried aloud about changing the definition of marriage from the union of a man and a woman.
Chief Justice John Roberts directed questions to both sides that made it hard to predict where he will come down. Roberts said gay couples seeking to marry aren’t trying to join the institution of marriage — they’re trying to “change what the institution is.”
But he also said, “If Sue loves Joe and Tom loves Joe, Sue can marry him and Tom can’t.” And he asked, “Why isn’t that a case of sexual discrimination?”
