Tennessee DA says gay couples are not entitled to domestic violence protections
In a newly surfaced video, a Tennessee district attorney argued LGBT people are not entitled to domestic violence protections because he does not recognize their marriages as legitimate, according to NewsChannel5 Nashville.
"So the social engineers on the Supreme Court decided that we now have homosexual marriage. I disagree with them. What do I do with domestic assaults?" Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott said at a 2018 Bible conference hosted by Dean Bible Ministries.
"The reason that there's enhanced punishment on domestic violence is to recognize and protect the sanctity of marriage. And I said there's no marriage to protect. So I don't prosecute them as domestics," Northcott added.
Northcott said he believes public officials should use the Bible in their work, so he would prosecute a domestic violence case between a gay couple as a regular assault.
According to Tennessee law, a victim of domestic abuse can be a former or current spouse, individuals who previously or currently have a sexual relationship or people who previously or currently live together.
Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, called Northcott a "crackpot."
"When it happens, victims, survivors rely on those charged with enforcement of the law to protect them," Sanders told NewsChannel5 Nashville. "And, in this case, it looks like we have a district attorney who is willfully ignoring the marital status, the relationships of members in our community and not protecting them fully."
Northcott has also drawn nationwide ire for his statements on Muslim Americans. In a Facebook Post, he wrote that Muslims are "evil because they profess a commitment to an evil belief system" and that they are not entitled to constitutional rights, even if they are American citizens, according to NewsChannel5 Nashville.
"There are only God given rights protected by the Constitution. If you don't believe in the one true God, there is nothing to protect," Northcott said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint against Northcott with the Tennessee Board of Professional Attorneys last month.
Marina Pitofsky
Photo: © The Hill Tennessee DA says gay couples are not entitled to domestic violence protections
Someone needs to be out of a job.
Apparently this shithole doesn't think couples who live together and are not married deserve protection either - although domestic assault does not require a marriage.
What kind of morons elect this type of horrible person? Seems like there's a lot of it in the Deep South.
I cannot understand why he isn't removed from his job; he clearly cannot fulfill its requirements.
There is so much wrong here. From his stance on gay people to his stance on Muslim people to his stance that we should follow Christian, biblical law.
There is no way he could be doing his job objectively.
This is why the founders should have allowed one religious test for eligibility for office. The test would be - if you can't put our Constitution and country above your religion, you're not qualified to run. Sure, many people would just lie about it, but it would keep the blatant fanatics like this guy out of office.
He clearly thinks the law should be applied differently to different people.
This hypocritical piece of shit. People like him want the courts to decide things for them yet when it doesn't go their way make outrageous claims.
How is this guy a prosecuting attorney...still?
Especially when he admits bias.
JBB says that bigot Tennessee DAs are not entitled to jobs serving the public....
I guess I don't understand why a DA of all people would be making this distinction when Tennessee law does not require that people even be married to apply DV. I'll bold some key points.
In the State of Tennessee, Tennessee Code 39-13-111 governs domestic violence. According to that statute:
So, marriage is sufficient to qualify for DV protection but not necessary. Therefore, how he feels about gay marriage isn't even relevant.
It is relevant when he even admits he is not following the law.
The point is his reason is not relevant.
Not following the law is not relevant?
No. His reason is not legally relevant because you don't have to be married (straight or gay) for the domestic violence statute to apply. It's a bit like saying he doesn't want to mow the lawn because French Onion soup is tastier than Tomato.
That makes absolutely no sense.
To try and use your sad inadequate analogy it would be like saying he doesn't want to mow your lawn, even though he mows everyone else's lawn in town, because you're gay.
Ah, a prime example of what rational Americans have been pointing out about radical religious extremists among us who think they should still be paid as a civil servant (AG) but refuse to serve everyone in the community because of their own cowardly filthy personal religious opinions. If you don't want to accept equality, if you refuse to accept civil laws and believe your oath of office is only to other radical religious conservatives, then get the hell out of civil service, you are neither wanted nor needed.
Yeah, I know. That's the point.
See, if that were true, the law would limit itself to married couples. It specifically includes other relationships that are not marriage. That's why his personal opinion on same-sex marriage is not legally relevant. The text of the law he wants to ignore doesn't make the distinctions he seems to think it does.
I see you're trying to help me respect your input again. Let me ask you a question. Do you somehow imagine that I agree with this DA? Because if you do, then your reading comprehension sucks. And if you understand that I don't agree with him, then why are you being argumentative with me?
Yet he was purposely not charging people with domestic violence, depending on their status.
He even admits this where you cannot....
Yes I understand that. I have been talking about that. I don't know why you think I don't understand that except that you assume you are supposed to disagree with me on everything.
What is it you think I cannot admit? Where are you getting this idea?
Actually, you are one of the people I think are reasonable which is why I really don't understand your position.
It is relevant when he changes charges.
What position is it you think I have?
Look [deep breath] a thing has a relevant connection to another thing. It's relevant if it tends to prove or disprove the argument you're making. Just saying something is relevant isn't helpful. It's like saying it matters. If you want me to say it matters, I have no problem with that. All I have said is that his reason doesn't make sense - not just because it comes from bigotry. That's obvious enough.
As a lawyer, he is trying to make a legal argument that does not connect to even a casual reading of the law he is claiming to interpret. He is saying he can't do a thing for a certain reason but his reason doesn't connect to the law.
When he will not prosecute a spouse for a certain violation and instead charges them with something else, he is changing the laws to suit himself.
Well prosecutors pick and choose all day long between what they could charge and what they will charge. Very often, they overcharge. In this case, this DA appears to be undercharging because he doesn't respect the victims.
He is a bigot who doesn't belong in the office, any more than Kim Davis did because that office isn't a platform for his bigotry.
I am wondering if you might be agreeing with him?
You'd have to be willfully ignorant or trolling to think that. Read the thread before you comment.
Tacos, first comment ( #5) is pretty clear that he disagrees with this particular DA, because as stated
in the quoted statutes,
marriage is not a requirement for domestic violence charges in TN.
Yeah....I can clearly see Tacos' point. It appears that Taco's does not agree with this DA.
Y'a'll, sometimes we have to put out differences aside. In this case Tacos agrees with us
He probably has about as much intelligence as that small-town Alabama mayor who said we need to "kill out" gay people.
I can't believe whoever elected him (or appointed him - not sure how it works in TN) was not aware of his positions. He doesn't seem the type to have kept it hidden until just now.
Another one. It seems everyday more of these kind of people come crawling out of the woodwork.
I am frequently amazed at the people who made it through law school, much less managed to pass the bar and hold onto a nice government lawyer job. This guy is super dumb.
Do you know what they call the person who graduated last in medical school?
Doctor
I hope this whackjob finds himself unemployed.
It needs to happen sooner rather than later.
He also seems to have a problem with the separation of church and state.
Major red flag right there.
I have to shake my head when he spouts things like Muslim people believe in the wrong god, when in reality, both religions believe in the same god.
All three of those middle eastern monotheistic religions believe in the same Abrahamic god.
Nuf said.
1) SCOTUS says that same sex couples can be legally married, in the USA.
2) Someone needs to explain to him the difference between holy matrimony and legal marriage. One is subject to the law, the other one....no one gives a shit about.
3) As has been pointed out, "separation of church and state".
Did you ever notice that the same people who attack LGBT marriage ignore the hypocrisy of not attack interracial marriage because the SCOTUS decisions (Loving v. Virginia and Obergefell v. Hodges) are legally identical. They have no problem being homophobic but they won't publicly admit to being racists.
Racists also used the Bible to defend their bigotry.