U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay of Dallas has thrown out a lawsuit filed against Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic Dallas County Clerk John Warren that found the two Republicans in the odd position of defending marriage equality.
Chris Sevier sued Texas because a county clerk wouldn’t issue him a license to marry his computer. After the suit was dismissed, he promised he would re-file with additional anti-marriage equality plaintiffs.
Sevier argued that Texas was arbitrarily allowing same-sex couples to marry but not giving the same right to polygamists, “zoophiles” or “objectophiles,” which is how how he identifies himself.
“The right to marry one’s computer is not an interest, objectively, deeply rooted in the nation’s history and tradition such that it qualifies as a protected interest,” Paxton told the court. By inference, Paxton was implying same-sex marriage was deeply rooted in the nation’s history, since the purpose of the lawsuit was to challenge same-sex marriage.
Sevier has sued other states for similar reasons. He claimed he married his computer in New Mexico and sued Alabama in 2017 to recognize his marriage.
“In Alabama, the probate judges are issuing marriage licenses to self-identified homosexuals based on their sexual orientation or self-asserted sex-based identity narrative,” he told AL.com. “The governor and state officials are providing full marriage benefits and privileges to legally self-identified homosexuals but not to self-identified polygamists and machinists for procedural and moral reason.”
Two years ago, he filed a similar lawsuit in Florida and recently filed a claim against Louisiana.
In Dallas, Lindsay didn’t rule on the merits of the case. He had warned Sevier several times about following the court’s rules and procedures and finally dismissed the case when the plaintiff continued to disregard the judge’s instructions. Lindsay also questioned Sevier’s standing, since he isn’t a Texas resident.
— David Taffet