Midday Roundup: Federal judge fires back in Alabama marriage dispute

Dueling rulings. More Alabama probate judges are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples today after a federal judge again weighed in on the issue. Judge Callie V.S. Granade in January declared unconstitutional Alabama’s voter-approved law defining marriage as between one man and one woman. After the state exhausted its appeals for a stay of that ruling, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore ordered probate judges not to give same-sex couples marriage licenses. He said Granade’s ruling did not apply to them because probate judges were not defendants in the original lawsuit on the issue. So, on behalf of several same-sex couples, the American Civil Liberties Union sued a probate judge—Don Davis of Mobile County—and won. Davis started issuing the marriage licenses Thursday. As of Thursday evening, 23 Alabama counties were issuing marriage licenses to all couples, 19 to opposite-sex couples only, and 26 were not issuing marriage licenses at all, according to a tally kept by the Human Rights Campaign.

Power of the pen. The fate of the Keystone XL Pipeline expansion is in President Barack Obama’s hands, but so is his veto pen. The Keystone bill sailed through both the Senate and the House with bipartisan support. Nevertheless, the president has repeatedly vowed to strike it down. More than 20 state governors sent a letter to the White House asking the president to sign the bill, said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.But the White House rejects the arguments that the pipeline would be a job creator and contribute to American energy independence. Advocates of the bill say it’s better to extend the pipeline than continue transporting oil by truck or train, but opponents say it poses too many environmental risks.

Under investigation. The FBI said it will investigate the killing of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, N.C., to determine whether the slaying violated any federal hate crime laws. A funeral was held Thursday for Deah Shaddy Barakat, a 23-year-old dental student, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh. Their neighbor, Craig Hicks, was arrested for the execution-style murders. Police have said a dispute over parking spaces motivated Hicks, but Mohammad Abu-Salha, the girls’ father, believes the students’ Muslim faith was a factor, too.

Bankrupt. Family Christian Stores, the nation’s largest Christian bookstore chain, has filed for bankruptcy, the company announced this week. It plans to sell assets as part of a debt-restructuring plan under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code. “We have carefully and prayerfully considered every option,” CEO Chuck Bengochea said in a statement. “This action allows us to stay in business and continue to serve our customers, our associates, our vendors, and charities around the world.” The retail chain does not plan to close any stores or layoff employees as part of the plan, according to a company statement.

The Associated Press and WORLD Radio’s Kent Covington contributed to this report.