In the Supreme Court case Obergefell vs. Hodges (aka, the gay marriage trial), we expected to hear some crazy things. And one day in, courtesy of Justice Alito . . . we have.
In case you aren't familiar with Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., allow us to explain: the man is something of a judicial demi-god for the right-wing. Liberals can count on Alito's consistent opposition to, essentially, every last thing they stand for.
Abortions? Bro is not down.
How about them unions? Mercy, no!
Gender equality? Ladies, ladies, he just doesn't understand it!
Religious freedom, then? Big supporter. (To Alito's credit, he is consistent and does not favor Western religions exclusively—so props on that.)
With this record, we were expecting Alito to vote against gay marriage. What we weren't expecting was a laughably left-field comment during today's hearing. While LGBTQ advocate lawyer Mary Bonauto discussed the changes in marriage following Loving vs. Virginia (which okayed interracial matrimony), Justice Alito—from seemingly out of nowhere—dropped this gem of a question:
"Suppose we rule in your favor in this case, and then—after that—a group consisting of two men and two women apply for a marriage license. Would there be any ground for denying them a license?"
We'll save you the suspense—Bonauto shot Alito down fast, saying that inviting multiple people into a marriage is nowhere near the same as a same-sex marriage; coercion and consent are the issues at hand. Bonauto then tried to go back to more pressing issues, but Alito was relentless—rude, even. When Bonauto finally got to speak, she essentially said that issues pertaining to polygamous marriages are not applicable to gay marriages.
One day in, and Alito is already asking inane and offensive questions. What could he possibly say next . . . ?
