maine becomes fifth state to recognize marriage equality

Another day, another state.

Today, same-sex marriage is now legal in Maine, the fifth state in the U.S. to recognize marriage equality. After both houses of the state legislature passed a marriage bill, Gov. John Baldacci signed the bill within an hour.

"I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage," said Baldacci, a Democrat.

But he raised the possibility that the residents of the state would overturn the law, saying, "Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people."

Three other states -- Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa -- allow same-sex marriages. Vermont has passed a law making gay and lesbian marriages legal that takes effect in September. New Hampshire lawmakers are close to passing a similar bill.

On Tuesday, the Washington City Council voted to recognize same-sex marriages from states that allow those unions. Mayor Adrian Fenty has indicated that he will sign the measure. It will become law if Congress fails to overturn the measure during a 30-day review period.

Congratulations to those that worked hard for this victory in Maine, and we encourage other states on the verge, such as New Hampshire and New York, to come to similar conclusions. If conservatives really consider marriage equality to be a states' rights issue, then they won't mind if states continue to rule in favor of marriage equality.

senate republicans deny dc voting rights

Only eight Republicans supported a measure in the Senate today that would have allowed the District of Columbia a representative in Congress, according to the Washington Post.

The legislation would have allotted a voting member of the House to D.C. while also creating a new district in Utah. The Senate needed 60 votes to consider the bill; it fell short with only 57.

The vote was a crushing disappointment to many activists in the decades-long campaign for voting representation for the city in Congress. The bill, which passed the House of Representatives in April, has gone further than any other D.C. vote measure in nearly 30 years.

Currently, D.C. has a non-voting delegate in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton. Norton is a Democrat and would likely be elected to the post if a voting spot was created for the District. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-Va., suggested that if D.C. was going to elect a Democrat, a growing area in Utah should be allowed to create a district that would likely vote Republican.

Despite this compromise, the majority of Senate Republicans were opposed to the measure.

The Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the White House have strongly criticized the legislation. They maintain it violates the Constitutional mandate that House representatives be chosen by the "People of the several States," since the District is not a state.

"I opposed this bill because it is clearly and unambiguously unconstitutional," McConnell said in a statement. "If the residents of the District are to get a member for themselves, they have a remedy: amend the Constitution."

In addition to the legal concerns, some Republicans were wary of the bill's potential political repercussions. Some Republicans feared the measure could eventually lead to two full D.C. senators, who would likely be Democrats.

Good thing Republicans play politics when the most fundamental of rights in America's representative democracy is being denied in the nation's capital.

Supporters vow not to end the fight. It's one that's been brewing for years, with a previous constitutional amendment that passed Congress, but failed to be ratified by the states.

"We have not given up. The session is not over," Norton said. "We have come too far to stop now."