Mississippi's Democratic attorney general, Jim Hood, wants to get out of the marriage case that GOP Gov. Phil Bryant is pressing forward. Just one more case of a Republican failing to move forward with the times. Caitlin MacNeal
reports:
The Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood (D) on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court to allow his office to withdraw as counsel to Gov. Phil Bryant (R) in the case regarding the state's ban on same-sex marriage, according to Buzzfeed News.
The plaintiffs in the Mississippi same-sex marriage case asked on Friday that the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals lift the stay on its ruling striking down the state's ban following the Supreme Court ruling. Hood's office supported the plaintiff's request, but Bryant opposed the motion, according to Buzzfeed.
Following Bryant's opposition, Hood's office asked to withdraw as counsel to Bryant in the case "because [Hood and Bryant] have differing views regarding how to respond to the [same-sex couples]’ motion," according to the filing obtained by Buzzfeed.
Marriage licenses are already being distributed to same-sex couples in Mississippi per Hood's instructions. What's crazy is that all Hood is asking the 5th Circuit appeals court to do is lift its hold on a ruling it already made that overturned the state's marriage ban. That doesn't seem so hard.