THE
S TUDENT PRINTZ Thursday, November 13, 2014
www.studentprintz.com
SERVING SOUTHERN MISS SINCE 1927
Volume 99 Issue 23
Same-sex marriage lawsuit continues Judge considers injunction against Miss. ban
Mary Sergeant
Printz Reporter & Photographer JACKSON - District Court Judge Carlton Reeves heard oral arguments Wednesday to decide whether a preliminary injunction will be granted against Mississippi’s ban on same-sex marriage or if the court will choose to stay on the subject and await the court decisions of similar cases occurring in early January. The plaintiffs of the case are the Campaign for Southern Equality, couple Rebecca “Becky” Bickett and Andrea Sanders and couple Carla Webb and Jocelyn “Joce” Pritchett. Defendants of the state include Gov. Phil Bryant, Attorney Gen. Jim Hood and Hinds County Circuit Clerk Barbara Dunn. Paul, Weis, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is the law firm representing the aforementioned plaintiffs. Roberta Kaplan, the lead counsel on the case who is also known as the lead counsel in United States v. Windsor, was first called to the stands to extend her argument to the court. Kaplan, a dominant force in the courtroom, argued for a preliminary injunction which would allow this case to serve as the deciding case for same-sex marriage and same-sex marriage recognition in Mississippi. Kaplan has been described by her firm as a “powerhouse corporate litigator and pressure junkie.” The New Yorker lived up to her reputation as she spoke to the court, often having to apologize to the court reporter for speaking a little
too quickly. One aspect of the case that she put much emphasis on was the fact that both couples she represents have two children. These children, according to Kaplan, do not share the same benefits as those
children who come from heterosexual parents. “The dignity and self-worth of these children (are) being demeaned,” she said. Following Kaplan’s arguments, which were met with some questions and comments from Reeves, the state’s lead counsel, Justin
Matheny, took the stand. Matheny argued the state should wait and decide what course of action they would
like to take, arguing that there are similar cases taking place in nearby states
Which will you choose? USM’s athletic department unveiled two new logos created by Rare Design, a firm owned by alumnus Rodney Richardson. Students, faculty, staff and the Hattiesburg community are encouraged to offer feedback and vote for either “Traditional Eye” (left) or “Dynamic Eye” (right) on the department’s website www.southernmisslogo.com until Nov. 21.
that could help the court come to a better understanding of what is best for Mississippi. During Matheny’s argument Reeves met him with a statement regarding the decision in Loving v. Virginia, as it applies to this case. The Loving case legalized interracial marriage. “Everything prior to Loving, people never thought people of opposite races would want to marry each other,” Reeves said. “In 2014, your children couldn’t even think that was going on back in 1967.” Matheny countered Reeves with the argument that the Loving decision dealt with two members of opposite sexes and, therefore, they also talked about procreation. The state feels procreation is a critical aspect of traditional marriage. To that statement, Reeves argued the state now prohibits conjugal visits for prisoners leaving them unable to procreate. He also discussed people who marry late in life, infertile couples and couples who choose not to procreate. “Where does that take us with procreation?” Reeves said. At the end of the day, Reeves decided he would consider ending Mississippi’s ban on samesex marriage. Reeves has two weeks to review the case, but many are hopeful he will make his decision before then. For more information, visit the Campaign for Southern Equality website.
Politicians discuss net neutrality Ardan Thornhill Printz Reporter
Obama went public with his feelings about net neutrality, putting Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler in an uncomfortable position. On Monday, Obama released a video statement offering his stance on and plans for protecting net neutrality, emphasizing the onus on the FCC. “The FCC is an independent agency and ultimately its decision is theirs alone,” Obama said. ”But the public has already commented nearly four million times asking the FCC to make sure the consumers, not the cable company, get to decide which sites they use.” Part of Obama’s plans include reclassifying the Internet under Title II, which would officially render it a telecommunications service and force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to charge users as if it were a utility. In a White House statement, the president also asked for “no blocking,” “increased transparency,” “no throttling” and “no paid prioritization.” The public outcry sparked by the video statement all but demanded a response from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, putting him at odds with long-time ally Obama. According to the Washington Post, Wheeler met with officials from Google, Yahoo and Etsy Monday afternoon, admitting his skepticism of Obama’s plan. Wheeler said he will address the concerns of the public as well as ISPs, such as AT&T, Time Warner and Comcast.
See NEUTRALITY, 3