N.C. governor will veto legislation to exempt magistrates from performing gay marriages

RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Pat McCrory announced Thursday afternoon that he’ll veto a bill to allow magistrates to opt out of performing marriage if they have a religious objection.

The governor’s announcement came just hours after the North Carolina House approved it in a 67-43 final vote Thursday.

“I recognize that for many North Carolinians, including myself, opinions on same-sex marriage come from sincerely held religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman,” McCrory said.

“However, we are a nation and a state of laws. Whether it is the president, governor, mayor, a law enforcement officer, or magistrate, no public official who voluntarily swears to support and defend the Constitution and to discharge all duties of their office should be exempt from upholding that oath; therefore, I will veto Senate Bill 2.”

Senate Bill 2 would allow magistrates and register of deeds employees to be exempt from performing weddings if they have a religious objection. Opponents of the measure say it would allow discrimination against same-sex couples, though workers seeking the exemption couldn’t perform any type of wedding for at least a six-month period.

With McCrory planning a veto, Thursday’s House vote tally indicates that a three-fifths majority to override a veto might prove challenging for the Republican leadership.

About 61 percent of the legislators voting Thursday supported the bill, but 10 House members were absent or didn’t vote. Of those, five are Republicans, four are Democrats, and one is unaffiliated Rep. Paul Tine, who’s part of the GOP caucus.

An override is more likely in the Senate, where the 32-16 vote on Feb. 25 represents two-thirds of the chamber.

McCrory made his position on Senate Bill 2 clear during a Charlotte radio interview in March: “I don’t think you should have an exemption when you took an oath to uphold . the constitution of North Carolina,” he said.

Thursday’s announcement came the day McCrory received a letter from a Catawba County executive who said he would take more than $20 million in business out of state if the bill became law. John Pope is chairman of the 750-employee Cargo Transporters.

“As a company based here that believes in FULL EQUALITY for our employees,” he wrote the governor, “we will not sit idly by and let the rogue legislators of this state ruin the business and employee recruiting opportunities for this state.”

Pope threatened to move what he said was a $20 million Freightliner order to Mexico. McCrory spokesman Josh Ellis said the governor had decided to veto the bill before getting the letter.