Delaware Civil Unions Bill Advances

[Ivytalk]

Looks like it will pass.

In the meantime, Joe Biden's daughter goes viral on Facebook attacking Donald Trump!

Ashley "Snowflake" Biden weighs in on the issues of the day.

[93henfan]

Good law. No need to discriminate against people based on their biological disposition.

[Bronco]

Well if they ever run intoa legal battle in the future they can always hope they get a sympathetic judge

Judge who struck down Prop 8 confirms he's gay
Associated Press ^ | April 7, 2011

The federal judge who struck down California's gay marriage ban has confirmed longtime rumors that he's gay, but said his sexuality was irrelevant in deciding the landmark case. Speaking for the first time about the case since retiring from the bench in February, former Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said he never considered recusing himself from deciding the constitutionality of Proposition 8 because of his sexual orientation, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...

[93henfan]

Well if they ever run intoa legal battle in the future they can always hope they get a sympathetic judge

Judge who struck down Prop 8 confirms he's gay
Associated Press ^ | April 7, 2011

The federal judge who struck down California's gay marriage ban has confirmed longtime rumors that he's gay, but said his sexuality was irrelevant in deciding the landmark case. Speaking for the first time about the case since retiring from the bench in February, former Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said he never considered recusing himself from deciding the constitutionality of Proposition 8 because of his sexual orientation, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...

Does Clarence Thomas recuse himself from cases involving race?

[TwinTownBisonFan]

Well if they ever run intoa legal battle in the future they can always hope they get a sympathetic judge

Judge who struck down Prop 8 confirms he's gay
Associated Press ^ | April 7, 2011

The federal judge who struck down California's gay marriage ban has confirmed longtime rumors that he's gay, but said his sexuality was irrelevant in deciding the landmark case. Speaking for the first time about the case since retiring from the bench in February, former Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said he never considered recusing himself from deciding the constitutionality of Proposition 8 because of his sexual orientation, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...

so if a judge is reviewing a divorce law - should we prohibit divorcees from ruling on it?

should female judges be prohibited from ruling on laws that cover womens issues?

guy is fully qualified federal judge, he made a ruling.

[citdog]

allowing a judge who suffers from a mental illness to serve as such is reprehensible. allowing the same judge to make a ruling that has anything to do with his mental illness is a crime.

[BDKJMU]

This isn't surprising, as after the 10' election there are only 3 states where you have:
-Democrat Governor
-Democrat Lt Governor
-Democrat AG
-Democrat controlled state house
-Democrat controlled state senate
-both Senators democrats
-all congressman democrats

The states are Hawaii, Connecticut, and Delaware (In Ct you have Lieberman who is an "independent democtrat").

RI there aren't any statewide elected Republicans and both statehouses are controlled by donks, but the governor is Lincoln Chafee, independent.

Again, not surprising that this is passed in DE, as in DE the democrats have super majorities in both houses, have total control in the state and can pass whatever they want.

[93henfan]

This isn't surprising, as after the 10' election there are only 3 states where you have:
-Democrat Governor
-Democrat Lt Governor
-Democrat AG
-Democrat controlled state house
-Democrat controlled state senate
-both Senators democrats
-all congressman democrats

The states are Hawaii, Connecticut, and Delaware (In Ct you have Lieberman who is an "independent democtrat").

RI there aren't any statewide elected Republicans and both statehouses are controlled by donks, but the governor is Lincoln Chafee, independent.

Again, not surprising that this is passed in DE, as in DE the democrats have super majorities in both houses, have total control in the state and can pass whatever they want.

Delaware is two very little states within a little state. You have New Castle county to the north, very populous and very liberal, a true blue county. Then you have the two slower Delaware counties of Kent and Sussex, rural and conservative and red. New Castle County drives the ship in this state, and unfortunately Ivytalk and CluckU haven't convinced their neighbors up there to vote Republican. Interestingly, I looked at the demographics, because the retort you'll often see is that it's all the black folks in Wilmington making New Castle County a democrat machine. If Wiki is correct though, both New Castle and Kent County have roughly same percentage of blacks at ~20%. Why then is New Castle County so blue and Kent County so red?

Anyway, here in the vote on the civil unions bill, and I've added the county:

Yes: Patricia Blevins, D-Elsmere NEW CASTLE; George Bunting, D-Bethany Beach SUSSEX; Brian Bushweller, D-Dover-Central KENT; Anthony DeLuca, D-Varlano NEW CASTLE; Bethany Hall-Long, D-Glasgow NEW CASTLE; Margaret Rose Henry, D-Wilmington East NEW CASTLE; Michael Katz, D-Centerville NEW CASTLE; Robert Marshall, D-Wilmington West NEW CASTLE; David McBride, D-Hawk’s Nest NEW CASTLE; Harris McDowell, D-Wilmington North NEW CASTLE; Karen Peterson, D-Stanton NEW CASTLE; David Sokola, D-Newark NEW CASTLE; Liane Sorenson, R-Hockessin NEW CASTLE.

No: Colin Bonini, R-Dover South KENT; Joe Booth, R-Georgetown SUSSEX; Bruce Ennis, D-Smyrna KENT; Dave Lawson, R-Kenton KENT; Gary Simpson, R-Milford SUSSEX; Robert Venables, D-Laurel SUSSEX.

Absent: Catherine Cloutier, R-Heatherbrooke NEW CASTLE, Dori Connor, R-Penn Acres NEW CASTLE.

As you can see, completely ignoring party, the vote went:

Upstate - 11 for, 0 against
Downstate - 2 for, 6 against

The two "for" votes downstate came from the district with Delaware's notable gay community Rehoboth Beach and from the district with downtown Dover.

Oddly, two female republicans upstate were "absent" from the vote. RINOs?

[93henfan]

*oops - double post on edit*

[Ivytalk]

New Castle County also has a big union "blue" vote. Kent and Sussex are more socially conservative, with more seniors (who tend to be more conservative), and have more fundamentalist Christian churches. Sen. Venables of Laurel is really an old-style Southern Democrat. He almost single-handedly kept gay civil rights legislation tied up for years. I can't explain the Cloutier and Connor no-shows: neither one is a right-wing firebrand.

[citdog]

which section of the State did you keep your servants?