Today, by a vote of 69-41, the North Carolina House of Representatives voted to override Gov. Pat McCrory’s veto of SB 2 – a law allowing “magistrates, assistant registers of deeds, and deputy registers of deeds to recuse themselves from performing duties related to marriage ceremonies due to sincerely held religious objections.”
McCrory said he was disappointed in the General Assembly’s action. “It’s a disappointing day for the rule of law and the process of passing legislation in North Carolina,” he said in a statement. “I will continue to stand up for conservative principles that respect and obey the oath of office for public officials across our state and nation.”
Marty Rouse, National Field Director for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), issued the following statement: “It is tremendously disappointing that the legislature chose to override Governor McCrory’s veto of this misguided and mean-spirited legislation. Allowing public officials the ability to opt-out of the job they are paid by the public to do is completely contrary to the purpose of public service and should have no place in North Carolina law.”
WRAL.com reported that Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, who is openly gay, said in a statement, “All North Carolinians now have the possibility of being denied the services of a magistrate or register of deeds,” “Couples that include a divorced person, interracial couples, couples from different faiths, as well as same-sex couples, have historically faced condemnation based on the religious beliefs of others.”
