Ted Olson: Would FOX like its right to free speech put up to a vote?
Mon. August 9, 2010 11:41 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
New York City -
Ted Olson went from being President George W. Bush's Solicitor General and the legal architect behind Bush vs. Gore to being one of pro-gay lawyers who battled Prop. 8.
And on FOX News Sunday, Olson argued that legalizing gay marriage is a matter of common sense and constitutional law.
"Would you like Fox's right to free press put up to a vote and say well, if five states approved it, let's wait till the other 45 states do?" Olson asked host Chris Wallace. "These are fundamental constitutional rights.
"The Bill of Rights guarantees Fox News and you, Chris Wallace, the right to speak. It's in the constitution. And the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the denial of our citizens of the equal rights to equal access to justice under the law, is a violation of our fundamental rights.
"Yes, it's encouraging that many states are moving towards equality on the basis of sexual orientation, and I'm very, very pleased about that. We can't wait for the voters to decide that that immeasurable harm, that is unconstitutional, must be eliminated.
"If 7 million Californians were to decide that we should have separate but equal schools, or that we would send some of our citizens to separate drinking fountains, or have them be in the back of the bus, that would be unconstitutional," Olson said.
Olson pointed out that if laws banning interracial marriage still existed in the United States, the President himself would not exist.
"We do not put the Bill of Rights to a vote," he said.
And on FOX News Sunday, Olson argued that legalizing gay marriage is a matter of common sense and constitutional law.
"Would you like Fox's right to free press put up to a vote and say well, if five states approved it, let's wait till the other 45 states do?" Olson asked host Chris Wallace. "These are fundamental constitutional rights.
"The Bill of Rights guarantees Fox News and you, Chris Wallace, the right to speak. It's in the constitution. And the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the denial of our citizens of the equal rights to equal access to justice under the law, is a violation of our fundamental rights.
"Yes, it's encouraging that many states are moving towards equality on the basis of sexual orientation, and I'm very, very pleased about that. We can't wait for the voters to decide that that immeasurable harm, that is unconstitutional, must be eliminated.
"If 7 million Californians were to decide that we should have separate but equal schools, or that we would send some of our citizens to separate drinking fountains, or have them be in the back of the bus, that would be unconstitutional," Olson said.
Olson pointed out that if laws banning interracial marriage still existed in the United States, the President himself would not exist.
"We do not put the Bill of Rights to a vote," he said.