Tag Archives: State: Maine

LifeSiteNews: On Friday, the Maine House overwhelmingly rejected a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide, by a vote of 95-43.

Bangor Daily News: The thorny issue of abortion rights came to the forefront Thursday in Augusta with the introduction of three bills that sparked strong words even before they were introduced to lawmakers.

Bangor Daily News: South Bristol Elementary School eighth-graders will launch their handmade skiffs next month without the traditional “blessing of the fleet” after a letter from Washington, D.C.-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State informed the school that student involvement with the historic maritime ceremony violated the First Amendment.

WCSH6.com: Every Thursday, anti-abortion protestors gather outside a family planning clinic in Augusta. They hope through prayers and pictures they can get women to change their minds about having an abortion. While they protest outside, some Maine lawmakers are working inside the state house on 3 abortion bills.

GLAD: Today, the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and other child welfare organizations filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief with the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in support of a transgender girl who experienced discrimination …

A Maine church’s ordeal in court may lead to a modification in state law that will help end inequities between how churches and non-church charities are treated in property taxation matters.

GLAD: GLAD initially filed the lawsuit, known as Doe v. Clenchy, after officials at an Orono elementary school denied our client the use of the girls’ restroom and other facilities and restricted her participation in school activities. The school had previously allowed Doe to use the girls’ restroom without incident until one of her male classmates began making it an issue with coaching from his grandfather. Doe also suffered a campaign of harassment and bullying for over two school years at the hands of this classmate, whom the school failed to discipline

Huffington Post: New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley plan to file a friend-of-the-court brief on Friday, their offices said. Officials in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia, will join the amicus brief.

Washington Post: Maine’s highest court prepared to weigh in on whether a man can be charged with invasion of privacy for viewing videos of accused johns who were recorded without their knowledge while engaging in sex acts with a woman who’s charged with using her Zumba studio as a front for prostitution.

Christian Civic League link here.

Bangor Daily News: The church is represented by attorney Joel Oster from the Alliance Defending Freedom organization of Leawood, Kan. Oster said Monday that the church is pleased with the outcome but will need to do its due diligence to see if it can form the nonprofit charitable organization to allow for the land to be exempt.

Bangor Daily News: Chanting, arguing and sometimes yelling, dozens of Planned Parenthood supporters turned out Friday morning in opposition to weekly protests by anti-abortion activists at the organization’s Congress Street location in Portland.

American Thinker: Following November 2012′s citizen-initiated referendum to redefine marriage in Maine, marriage within that state will now include same-sex couples. In light of this, clerks with religious and/or conscience objections to issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples have found themselves in a quandary.

One News Now: “So what we’re praying for is that we will find those individuals that are not willing just to avoid the issue and enjoy their freedoms and the benefits, but also those persons that will stand up and, of course, with our national partners like Alliance Defending Freedom … offer them the legal resources to make that fight,” Conley tells OneNewsNow.

Christian Civic League: According to the 2012 Annual Report of the Family Planning Association of Maine (the organization which runs the abortion clinic in Augusta on Gabriel Drive): “ This year we made strategic decisions that help ensure our future sustainability …” Sources of Funding for Family Planning Association of Maine in 2012 and % of total . . .

LifeSiteNews: The Alliance Defending Freedom has made itself available to any notaries public in Maine who seek their help. Conley says, “we are so thankful for organizations such as the Alliance Defending Freedom because the other side works through intimidation.”

Washington Post: Gay marriage advocacy groups say Maine’s new same-sex marriage law is going into effect Dec. 29.

Christian Civic League: Protect and prepare for any conflict that same sex marriage will bring to your church. Click here for part 1 of a two part “Faith Matters in Maine” interview with Joel Oster, senior legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom. Part 2 will air next Dec. 3 at 6:15 pm (WHCF 88.5, Hodgdon/Houlton 93.7, and Presque Isle 102.7)

Bangor Daily News: A Superior Court judge on Tuesday r uled in favor of the Orono schools and against the parents of a transgender child who in 2007 was forced to stop using the girls bathroom and told to use a staff bathroom after the grandfather of a male student complained.

Religion Clause Blog: In Cassidy v. City of Brewer, (D ME, Nov. 19, 2012), a Maine federal district court dismissed on ripeness grounds a RLUIPA religious discrimination claim because plaintiff did not appeal the decision of the city’s code enforcement officer to the zoning board of appeals.

Portland Press Herald: The ACLU of Maine said it plans to alert the U.S. Justice Department about some of the controversial statements by Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster, the group said Friday. But the specific issue they are raising may be a moot point.

AP: Independent Senator-elect Angus King of Maine said Wednesday he has decided to caucus with Democrats, which will add to the party’s voting edge.

Ryan T. Anderson and Andrew Walker at the Heritage Foundation: But a little perspective on the setback is in order. The results were close, and marriage did better in these deep blue states than Mitt Romney did. Of the four states that had marriage questions on the ballot, traditional marriage outperformed the presidential candidate in each and every one:

FRC Action: But contrary to what the Left will say, the narrow margin for victory in these four states offers plenty of evidence that a solid majority of Americans still opposes same-sex “marriage.” Despite being outspent 8-to-1 in some of the most liberal states in the country, we witnessed record-setting petition efforts that crossed every racial, party, and socioeconomic divide. And while homosexuals may be celebrating an end to our movement’s perfect record, they still have a long way to go to match the 32 states where Americans voted overwhelmingly to protect the union of a man and woman. And that includes North Carolina, where President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex “marriage” likely cost him the state’s electoral votes.

Boston Globe: Police are investigating after someone spray-painted swastikas on a Stockton Springs church, and the pastor says the church was targeted because of his opposition to same-sex marriage.

Seattle Times: Altering the course of U.S social policy, Maine and Maryland became the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote, while Washington state and Colorado set up a showdown with federal authorities by legalizing recreational use of marijuana.

Religion Clause Blog reports.

Wall Street Journal: Americans for the first time approved gay marriage at the ballot box on Tuesday, pointing to changing attitudes on the divisive issue.

Geoffrey Fowler at the Wall Street Journal: Americans weighed in on gay marriage in four states Tuesday, in a test of whether attitudes have changed on the divisive issue. In Maine, Maryland and Washington state, voters decided whether to begin allowing same-sex unions. A vote to permit gay marriage would mark a first for a cause that previously has been rejected by voters in 32 states.

Religion Clause Blog: While the Presidential contest obviously looms largest at the polls tomorrow, those interested in church-state and religious liberty issues are watching a number of down-ballot issues and contests . . .

Boston Globe: This is the second time in four years that Mainers will vote on gay marriage. Voters in 2009 overturned a Maine law passed by the Legislature earlier in the year allowing same-sex marriage.

AP: President Barack Obama on Thursday threw his support behind ballot measures in Maine, Maryland and Washington state that would legalize same-sex marriage.

Boston Globe: Mainers United for Marriage, the group leading the campaign in favor of gay marriage, says the Obama campaign’s regional press secretary issued a statement Thursday giving support to Maine’s gay marriage referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot.

MinnPost: Minnesota is one of four states where voters next month will be asked to decide ballot questions related to same-sex marriage. This is the only state where voters will be asked to outlaw, not approve, gay marriage.

Wall Street Journal: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he’ll spend $500,000 of his personal fortune on gay marriage campaigns in Maine, Minnesota and Washington state to help them raise an equal amount.

Keepmecurrent.com: On Monday, Maine’s fourth-largest city became the third municipality in the state to publicly endorse same-sex marriage.

Maryland – The pro-marriage campaign asks you to vote “AGAINST” Question 6.  Church resources are here: http://www.marylandmarriagealliance.org/church-resources/ Minnesota – The pro-marriage campaign asks you to vote “YES” for the marriage amendment.  Church resources are here: http://www.mnpastorsformarriage.com/ Maine – The pro-marriage campaign …

Kennebec Journal: Conley said business owners in Vermont and other states where gay marriage is legal are being faced with lawsuits because they don’t want to provide services to gay people. He said printers, caterers, wedding photographers and notaries public will all be faced with a difficult situation. “They will all be forced to do something against their deeply held religious beliefs,” he said.

Advocate.com: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is launching a super PAC with plans to spend between $10 and $15 million this election cycle to advance issues including marriage equality and candidates who show a commitment to solving problems over partisanship.

Bangor Daily News at Christian Civic League: Polls showing support for same-sex marriage could be misleading, a veteran pollster warned Wednesday as he released his own survey showing strong support for Question 1.

Reuters: Maine will give the issue a second vote in three years, after rejecting same-sex marriage in a referendum in 2009 by 53 to 47 percent. In Washington and Maryland, where the state legislatures passed laws expanding marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples earlier this year, citizens will vote on whether to let the laws stand. Meanwhile, defenders of traditional marriage hope Minnesota will become the latest state to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman – effectively banning same-sex marriages.

Portland Press Herald: A poll released Wednesday shows that 55 percent of Mainers plan to vote in support of same-sex marriage on Nov. 6, and another 1.3 percent are leaning in favor of voting for it, according to Pan Atlantic SMS Group of Portland.

Christian Civic League of Maine reprint earlier report by Mike McManus: “When people hear their legislature is considering a law like this and they think, `What’s the harm?’ They need to realize that there is a direct threat to religious liberty – to business owners, employees, religious entities,” said Jim Campbell of the Alliance Defense Fund.

NY Times: No state has ever legalized same-sex marriage through a referendum—an invaluable fact for marriage-equality opponents, who argue that judges and lawmakers have imposed a radical redefinition of a traditional institution on an unwilling population.

AP: The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from a national anti-gay marriage group that tried to thwart Maine’s campaign disclosure law requiring it to release its donor list.

Richard Malone at the Portland Press Herald: Although the Diocese of Portland will not contribute funds to the campaign, it tells parishioners to vote ‘no.’

Maine Sun Journal: The Maine People’s Resource Center found 53 percent of voters saying they would vote “yes” on a ballot question asking, “Do you want to allow the State of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples?” Forty-three percent of respondents said they planned to vote “no,” while 4 percent of voters were undecided.

Guardian: Four states have ballot measures on gay marriage this election, and polling suggests handsome wins in at least three . . .

Bangor Daily News: Nearly 500 people turned out Monday afternoon at Portland City Hall to join the rally promoted as the official kickoff to the “Yes on 1” campaign. The event took place after the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland organized a series of outreach meetings across the state in an effort to energize voters against the Nov. 6 referendum, which would legalize same-sex marriages in Maine.

WCSH6.com: Doctor Angela Frank, of the Boston Catholic Diocese, said, “We just need people to understand that marriage is a reality that we conform ourselves to and not the other way around.”

Politico embeds the video.

NC Register: Maine Referendum Will Present Another Challenge to Marriage

However, if the measure does pass, a host of wedding-related businesses — cake makers, photographers, banquet-hall owners — could encounter a stream of same-sex couples. If a business were to refuse to serve such customers, it might be in violation of a 2005 Maine law that added sexual orientation to civil-rights protection. According to Amy Sneirson of the Maine Human Rights Commission, these types of businesses could be considered a service industry in the broader category of public accommodation listed under the law.

Bangor Daily News: Protect Marriage Maine announced Wednesday that it has hired a married couple to serve as campaign director and grass-roots coordinator, according to a press release issued by the organization leading the opposition to a same-sex marriage referendum on the November ballot.

The Atlantic: The pro-gay-marriage side currently leads in the latest polls of the ballot measures in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington. Here’s a breakdown of where things stand on the question of whether gay marriage should be legalized in each state . . .

Press Herald: Kayatta was nominated by President Obama for a judgeship on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals back in January and was endorsed by the Senate Judiciary Committee three months later. Maine’s two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, have strongly endorsed him.

(AP) KGWN.tv: Part Karl Rove and part Pat Robertson, Schubert is managing four statewide campaigns where the issue is on the ballot in the fall – in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington. He’s trying to preserve a winning streak in which conservatives have put anti-gay marriage laws on the books in 32 states in the last decade.

Kennebec Journal: If Secretary of State Charlie Summers wanted clear direction from the public on the wording of the same-sex marriage ballot question, he didn’t get it.

Bangor Daily News: The campaign fighting to legalize same-sex marriage in Maine said Thursday its fundraising has passed the $1 million mark and that 64 percent of the contributions have come from within Maine.

Kennebec Journal: Summers proposed this question last week for the Nov. 6 ballot: “Do you want to allow same-sex couples to marry?” Matt McTighe, campaign manager for Mainers United for Marriage, said, “Simply put, the question as drafted is inaccurate … It fails to address important parts of the initiative that more than 105,000 Mainers signed” to get the proposal on the ballot.

MPBN: Coming off the primary election, Mainers are giving the biggest thumbs up to same-sex marriage and Angus King. Five-hundred-six people were surveyed across Maine’s counties, with a margin of error was 4.4 percent. Fifty percent of respondents said they would vote for independent candidate King to take Olympia Snowe’s seat.

Morning Sentinel: A new poll released today shows 55 percent of Mainers supporting a referendum question that would allow same-sex couples to legally marry.

Gay Politics: Nevada and Maine could see the number of openly gay state lawmakers triple after Victory Fund-endorsed candidates advanced in primary elections last night.

MPBN: Proponents of same-sex marriage say the proposed wording of the question doesn’t reference a provision that religious groups would not be required to perform same-sex marriage. | Secretary of State Charles E. Summers, Jr. Releases for Public Comment the Proposed Ballot Question for the Same-Sex Marriage Initiative

Seattle Times: In November, voters in Washington, Maine and Maryland will go to the polls to decide whether same-sex marriage should be legal in their state — providing a glimpse into the extend to which Americans’ attitudes around this issue have softened in recent years.

Jordan Lorence on the Hugh Hewitt Show a couple of weeks ago to survey the landscape. | MP3 audio 5:26 mins

LifeNews: Maine Governor Paul LePage has delighted pro-life advocates today by initially pushing for and now signing a state budget into law that de-funds Planned Parenthood. The abortion business stands to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result.

Eugene Volokh at the Volokh Conspiracy: An article by Will Tuell (who apparently is or was a local town selectman) in the Downeast Coastal Press reports that State Senator Cynthia Dill — seemingly the leader in the Democratic primary, though not necessarily a strong competitor to Independent candidate and former Governor Angus King — endorses Court-packing . . .

AP: With Mitt Romney’s GOP presidential nomination all but decided, Ron Paul supporters took control of the Maine Republican Convention and elected a majority slate supporting the Texas congressman to the GOP national convention, party officials said.

One News Now: The church in Maine has been denied a tax exemption for its parking lot under the theory that a parking lot does not serve as a religious purpose,” Oster reports. “We, of course, think that is absurd. A church is a religious organization, and people who go to church, they park in their parking lot. That shows a very valid purpose for the operation and function of a church.”

Christian Civic League Faith Matters in Maine Update (Audio 1:03 mins): In one Faith Matters in Maine minute, Carroll Conley tells how one church is fighting taxtion by the town of Rockland with the help of the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Civic League.

Christian Civic League: The Christian Civic League of Maine and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) announced on April 23rd they have joined forces to form Protect Marriage Maine, and will lead the campaign against the proposed initiative redefining marriage in Maine. The initiative is expected to be on the November 2012 ballot.

WCSH6.com: Lawyers with the Alliance Defense Fund say they filed a complaint in Knox County Superior Court this week on behalf of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church.

Religion Clause Blog: At issue, according to a release from Alliance Defense Fund, is a decision by the city of Rockland to grant a local church a tax exemption only for its building and not for the parsonage it owns or for its parking lot.

ADF files lawsuit to challenge tax assessed against church but not other charitable groups

Bangor Daily News: The lawsuit on behalf of Aldersgate United Methodist Church was filed Monday in Knox County Superior Court. The church is being represented by attorney Stephen Whiting of Portland as well as Joel Oster from the Alliance Defense Fund of Leawood, Kan. The Alliance Defense Fund states on its website that it is a legal alliance to defend religious freedom.