Supreme Court justice (Alito) slams MO court, says it shows 'danger' of same-sex marriage decision

[Eugene]

Earlier DU thread: US Supreme Court declines to decide legality of excluding jurors based on religion

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to decide the legality of excluding jurors on the basis of religion, turning away a Missouri agency's bid to reverse a lesbian worker's win in a workplace bias lawsuit after three prospective jurors were excluded for citing Christian beliefs that being gay is a sin.

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Source: Kansas City Star

Supreme Court justice slams MO court, says it shows ‘danger’ of same-sex marriage decision

Jonathan Shorman
Wed, February 21, 2024 at 3:24 PM EST·4 min read

A Missouri prison worker’s legal fight against on-the-job discrimination this week provided U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito — one of the court’s most conservative members — an opportunity to denounce the landmark decision recognizing same-sex marriage nationwide.

Jean Finney had worked as a corrections officer at the Western Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in St. Joseph since 2002, but after about eight years, the job started turning toxic.

A co-worker, the ex-husband of Finney’s romantic partner, undercut Finney on the job, sent disparaging texts about her status as a lesbian and, eventually, withheld information Finney needed to safely do her job. He spread rumors, a court later found, and lodged several complaints against her.

-snip-

“In this case, the court below reasoned that a person who still holds traditional religious views on questions of sexual morality is presumptively unfit to serve on a jury in a case involving a party who is a lesbian,” Alito wrote, referring to the Missouri appeals court.

“That holding exemplifies the danger that I anticipated in Obergefell v. Hodges … namely, that Americans who do not hide their adherence to traditional religious beliefs about homosexual conduct will be ‘labeled as bigots and treated as such’ by the government.”

-snip-

Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-justice-slams-mo-202459341.html

[cate94]

1. Labeled as what they are, bigots

Just the same as Alito.

[Ray Bruns]

7. Exactly. They used to use the same religious arguments about interracial marriages.

[thucythucy]

2. They'll be "treated as bigots" because

that's what they are.

Imagine a prospective juror, in a case involving a Black defendant, told the judge he believed black skin was "the mark of Cain" and thus made the guilt of the defendant a certainty.

This was a belief held by lots of white religious bigots back in the day--probably still is by some.

So excluding that obvious racist from a jury because they believed their racism had some kind of bogus religious justification would be a problem?

Alito needs to return to the sixteenth century where he would feel so much more at home.

[wolfie001]

9. Remember Scrolito used a 17th century witch-burner's thoughts.....

....to help him (fool that he is) justify overturning Roe. That is reason enough for him to be removed from the SC.

[unblock]

3. This is the same crap justice who did not "anticipate" foreign money after citizen's united.

Oh but he "anticipated" that letting gay people marry would lead to discrimination against bigots.

The court needs fixing.

[Ray Bruns]

8. The court needs to get rid of Alito and Uncle Ruckus.

[Sessuch]

4. They are bigots and should be treated as such by the government. Alito included

[lapucelle]

5. For Alito's full statement, see page 25 in the SC orders list document.

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS v. JEAN FINNEY
ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF APPEALS OF MISSOURI , WESTERN DISTRICT

No. 23–203. Decided February 20, 2024

The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied.

Statement of JUSTICE ALITO respecting the denial of certiorari.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/022024zor_7647.pdf

[LostOne4Ever]

6. So they will be labeled as what they are?

GOOD!!!

[SouthernDem4ever]

10. Just goes to show that Alito relies on voodoo beliefs in how he rules

instead of fact.