October 13 - Monday Quote

Best response ever!

This past August, Judge David F. Hamilton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit heard arguments from Indiana and Wisconsin defending their states' bans on same-sex marriage.  

Solicitor General Thomas Fisher of Indiana argued that "Men and women make babies, same-sex couples do not...we have to have a mechanism to regulate that, and marriage is that mechanism."   Wisconsin assistant attorney general Timothy Samuelson echoed that argument saying regulating marriage--including by encouraging men and women to marry--is part of a concerted Wisconsin policy to reduce the number of babies born out of wedlock.

Judge Hamilton replied:

monday quote:  I assume you know how that has been working out in practice?

Judge Hamilton then noted that between 1990 and 2009 births to single mothers had risen 53% in Wisconsin and 68% in Indiana.

Give the win to the judge.  (The Appeals Court later ruled against both states.)